


Mad Season

by FalCatrecon



Series: Rich Romance [3]
Category: The Agency (TV 2001), The Evil Gene (2015)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-02-09 13:36:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18639169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FalCatrecon/pseuds/FalCatrecon
Summary: For @nongaberichbang squares lookalike lovers & trauma recoveryGriff shuffled through the paperwork in front of him. No pictures as the man hadn’t actually been charged and booked, though there was the full rape kit and photos from that. He didn’t look at those, as he had already seen enough of her in photos at this point.The door opened, but the movement stopped suddenly. “Uh, so that’s why they were staring.”Griff looked up into a surprisingly familiar face, as he saw it in the mirror every morning. He rubbed his eyes a moment, trying to remember if he had taken his pills. He had. “...Lex?” The other man nodded. “Please, sit.”





	1. Bent

The death had all the earmarks of the others, but he needed to be thorough, and that meant asking after everyone associated with her. Currently on the record there was an ex-boyfriend who had been claimed in a rape case a year back. He sighed, recognizing the abusive behavior she displayed, the constant calls in the records. Even the terminology of her statement focused far too much on him and not enough on what was done or what was done to her. Regardless if he had actually done it, it was an extreme case of obsessive behavior. He apparently was a greeting card writer and somehow managed to only give his first name to the police and get away with it.

Griff shuffled through the paperwork in front of him. No pictures as the man hadn’t actually been charged and booked, though there was the full rape kit and photos from that. He didn’t look at those, as he had already seen enough of her in photos at this point.

The door opened, but the movement stopped suddenly. “Uh, so that’s why they were staring.”

Griff looked up into a surprisingly familiar face, as he saw it in the mirror every morning. He rubbed his eyes a moment, trying to remember if he had taken his pills. He had. “...Lex?” The other man nodded. “Please, sit.”

“Yeah…” Lex inched forward slowly before settling into his seat. “Um. Why…” He pointed between the two of them.

“I have no idea.” Griff shrugged, a little comforted in the fact Lex was just as confused, then offered his hand. “Griff Krenshaw, FBI.”

Lex took his hand and shook. “Lex. Which you knew.” He glanced down at the papers and blanched. “Not her again.” A wry, unamused smile graced his face for a moment. “Did she freak out when she met you?”

Griff tapped the papers in front of him, still standing. He was trying to process the man in front of him. Lex was verbally blasé about it, but his body language told him he was panicking slowly. He sighed and shoved an unopened folder in front of him. Time to be the agent he was, regardless of who he looked like. “Nice sense of humor, considering she can’t ‘freak out’ about anything.”

Lex tilted his head in confusion, then opened the folder. He slowly closed his eyes at the pictures within. “Oh.” He opened them to only look at Griff and not back down. “Yeah okay. She was horrible, but not _that_ horrible.” He pushed the folder back over, still open, essentially making Griff have to look at them to close it. The man wasn’t a stranger to posturing, which was odd for a greeting card author. There was an almost calculating look for a split second before Lex spoke again. “Why is the FBI investigating this?” The vague panic returned as he continued, near under his breath. “And someone who could be my twin.”

“You know a lot for a greeting card writer.” He pulled out the interview notes. “There’s not much to go on with you, not even a last name.”

Lex just shrugged, leaning back, disengaging with the conversation and avoiding the obvious question in Griff’s statement. “I watch the news and stuff while I work.”

“Then maybe you’ve heard about the other deaths, just like this one.” Here Griff knew there were small bits of the signature they had never released. The evasiveness was actually starting to have Griff suspect something, rather than the easy questioning he had been expecting.

“Wait.” Lex sat up straight again. “There are others?” He looked at the closed folder that held Olivia’s pictures. “I…” He ran a hand through his hair. “W-Who?” He was having trouble looking him in the eyes, but Griff was fairly certain that was the oddity of their near identical eyes rather than guilt.

The ‘who’ question was interesting though. He’d circle back to that. “Let’s start simple. Where were you two nights ago?”

“Home, probably asleep if it was late enough.” He was shutting off again, likely lying. But then again they were both a bit off-kilter right now, and if he actually cared about Olivia in any way still, he was probably upset too.

“How about a month ago?” He shuffled his papers around, finding the previous death in Pittsburgh.

Lex shrugged. “Same answer. I’m don’t get out much.”

This time he slid over a normal picture of the victim. Just as blonde as Olivia. “Is she familiar?”

Lex shook his head and pushed it back. “Looks like Olivia, but I don’t know her.” He finally met Griff’s eyes, which was admittedly unsettling. “I didn’t do this.”

Griff wasn’t supposed to take people at their word, but he was sure that Lex wasn’t lying in this. He might not want to say where he was, but it wasn’t put murdering people. Besides, he had records showing a card registered to Lex being used in Washington during and around the previous murders, making any sort of timeline near impossible.

He sighed. “Look, the problem here is that you’re obviously lying about you being home, which unfortunately sets up a reasonable doubt on your statement.” He tapped on the stack of files in front of him. “Even if you didn’t do the others, there is such thing as a copycat killer.”

Lex looked as if he collapsed in on himself, running a nervous hand through his hair. “I…” He shook his head. “We came to an agreement. She was leaving me alone. I have no reason…” He trailed off, leaning into the table.

Griff just stared a long moment, and Lex shifted nervously again. There was something here that wasn’t right, but he couldn’t figure out what. He was starting to wonder if he was reading Lex wrong, since he looked so very much like him. He huffed a sigh. “I could do the whole litany of leaving you here to think, or pressure you more about your fights and her very obvious obsession, but honestly… I pretty sure this isn’t you.”

Lex started to straighten up in his chair, a hope blooming in his eyes. “Glad someone does.”

Griff held up his hand, stalling anything more. “But. You’re still being extremely evasive and lying. I have to bring something back better than this to cross you off the suspect list.”

Lex shut his eyes and rubbed his temples. “Am I being charged?”

Shaking his head, Griff crossed his arms disapprovingly. “No, but as a suspect we hold the right to call you back in.”

Lex stood up and gathered his things. “Then call me when that happens.” He headed out the door quickly.

Griff let him go. There wasn’t anything he could really do about whatever Lex was lying about. He still didn’t even have a last name.

\------

“God Terri, this sucks.” Lex sunk limply into his chair, tossing his things on his desk in his huff.

“What sucks?” Terri offered part of her attention, still looking to her computer. She probably had heard rumors by now that he had been at the police station, but she was a good friend. She’d let him talk it out at her.

“You remember Olivia?” Lex straightened up, knowing Joshua was floating towards them in his unobtrusive way.

That caught her full attention, and she swivelled her chair to him worriedly. “What happened.” Joshua too stopped near his desk, waiting.

Lex took a deep breath. Now that he had to say it out loud, it was actually hitting him. “She’s dead.” It was soft as the magnitude of the event sunk in. Like he had said, he didn’t hate her, not like that. She was a horrible person but no one deserved to die like that. He scrubbed at his face as Terri reached out to lightly touch his shoulder. “And I was brought in as a suspect. It’s apparently a serial killer so not me, but…” He shook his head.

“You okay?” The soft concern from Joshua had him smile a little. Terri’s eyes reflected the same worry. Lex was glad for his friends.

He nodded. “Yeah, I guess.” He looked at his blank computer screen. “Griff doesn’t think I did it, so I should be fine.”

“Griff?” Terri questioned, leaning back into her chair to sit properly again.

“The FBI agent.” He perked up with a small grin. “Right, you’ll find this hilarious.” A few quick strokes and he was pulling up the FBI employee registry, and a couple of more clicks and they were looking at Agent Griff Krenshaw.

Joshua leaned forward curiously. “Why would you hack their database to do this?”

Lex rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, but nah, he really looks like that. It’s weird as hell.” He tilted his head in consideration, staring at Griff’s picture. “Hey, do you think I could help? I bet there’s surveillance they don’t have I could get, or any amount of data I can manipulate.”

“Is it for Olivia, or him?” Terri tapped his screen. “Have you checked him out?”

“Uh.” Lex let his fingers do the walking for a bit, digging into Griff’s records. Nothing out of the ordinary, had a brother. He wasn’t adopted according to birth records. He looked completely on the up and up. “He’s clean.” He smiled over to Terri. “Can’t I want to help for both?”

Joshua shrugged. “If you really want to, I’ll see what I can do.”

\-----

Griff paced his makeshift ready room, annoyed at the command that was passed down to him from his superiors. Aside from the fact his newest partner had been running late anyway, he had been diverted away so he could be paired with someone from the CIA of all places. Something about the case involving one of their people. There was no need for them to be involved in a serial killer case at all. He kept his eyes off of the photos, the stress making them look less like the girls and more like his family. He looked up sharply as the door opened, his anger quickly dissipating into confusion.

Lex waved with a grin. “Hiya.” He offered his proper ID with an apologetic shrug. “Proof I’m here to help.”

Taking the badge, Griff looked it over. CIA. No wonder he had been so evasive in the interview if he was keeping government secrets. He handed it back. “I was ready to chew the agent a new one. You,” He shrugged, “are allowed.”

“Oh great. I’m _allowed_ to be here.” Lex rolled his eyes and began setting up his laptop on the table. “Catch me up, would you, oh great and mighty.”

This was a much better Lex to interact with. Griff grinned in response and began to give a small lecture using the boards and pictures he had pinned up. Lex was animate and asked pertentant questions. A few clicks on his laptop already had a couple more alleyways of inquiry, though no real new evidence yet. He much prefered the CIA agent to the greeting card author.

They paused for lunch, getting odd looks as they went to a small sandwich shop nearby. As they began to eat, Lex started an entirely new, yet not surprising, subject. “I still don’t know why we look so alike. I mean, to be fair, I think our DNA only has about a billion combinations, which makes at least 7 exact copies, and then considering statistically minor variations, there’s probably a whole lot more who look near identical.” He shrugged. “But the chances of meeting them on the street randomly? Astronomical.”

Griff chewed thoughtfully on his sandwich. “And I bet you already ran birth records and all that.” Lex nodded sheepishly as he bit into his own sandwich. “Thought so. I bet you even thought about comparing our DNA, haven’t you?”

Lex sighed. “Maybe. It won’t do much unless I can compare parents and higher. Obviously it’s going to be similar.” He rolled his hand, gesturing to both of them in one motion. “But from what little research I did, we’re not even related out to second cousins.”

“Well, I’m glad I met you, regardless of the chances.” Griff took another bite, watching the smile grow on Lex’s face. He was pretty sure neither had many friends outside of work. It was kind of the nature of the job. He glanced at his watch before digging in his pocket. He was supposed to be taking them with food anyway.

“What’s that?” Lex leaned forward when Griff pulled out his prescription pills.

Griff shook out one in his hand, setting the bottle on the table. “Don’t worry about it. Would have thought you’d have found that out too anyway.”

Worry creased Lex’s forehead, and before he could stop him he had snagged the bottle. “Antipsychotics?” He rolled it in his hand. “I thought you couldn’t be a field agent if you took stuff like this.”

Griff only held out his hand, refusing to reply until his bottle had been returned. He shoved it into his pocket roughly. “They are mild enough it doesn’t matter.” Not that his higher-ups actually knew the actual strength, or that he sometimes still had minor hallucinations on occasion under stress.

“What are they for? Uh, if you don’t mind me asking.” Lex actually did look interested and concerned like a friend, not like someone who realized they were dealing with baggage. Which was a nice change of pace.

Sighing, Griff shook his head. “Something… happened. I’d rather not go into detail right now.” He gestured at the crowded sandwich shop as to why. “But it wasn’t good.”

Lex raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, well no shit if you have to take those.” He immediately looked contrite. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Griff offered a small smile. “It’s actually nice not to be… coddled isn’t the right word, but you get what I mean.”

Lex nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah!” His smile was bright. “It’s not exactly the same, but it’s nice to have someone outside of immediate work to know what I do.”

“Speaking of,” They delved into shop talk again, trying to figure out other avenues of clues. There were a few other computer systems it sounded like Lex could check easier than the FBI. Griff understood as Lex hemmed that it wouldn’t be necessarily through proper channels, but to get a jump on the killer could mean he could get the proper evidence the old fashioned way once he had him in custody. They just had to know where to look first.

Each time he had Lex scour the internet another source was pulled from the muck. A quick shot of the first girl on a surveillance system that hadn’t been erased yet, putting her much closer to the dump site than originally thought. Another catch from an ATM for the third, this time with a shadowy, dark-haired man following a bit too close. The same man showed up in a car driving by in a video they already had. The unfortunate part was that the easiest information to find was for Olivia. Her phone had been on and in the middle of a call. There was no audio log recorded, but Lex had managed to pull up the triangulation data, putting her right on top of her dump site. Being Washington there were a lot more cameras, and also being so close to her death gave a lot of the systems less of a chance of losing their data or overwriting it.

Finally a few days later among all the video they found one that showed his face, and that’s where Lex really showed his ability. Too many programs flashed by for Griff to follow, though he recognized the facial recognition program. As soon as it hit on something a billion lines of text flew by. Names, places, receipts, even directions. It didn’t take too much longer for Lex to spin the laptop around ecstatically. “That’s your guy!”

A driver’s license photo stared back along with a map of a current location, a small no-tell motel. Griff and Lex had the same triumphant grin as they looked at each other over the top of the screen. “Perfect.”

Griff immediately pulled out his phone to start the process of arresting the guy. He was able to pull others in for backup, so he got the ball rolling. He snapped the phone shut with a smile. “We got him.” He grimaced slightly. “Well, not yet, but you made magic happen.”

Lex ran a hand through his hair in embarrassment. “Thanks.” At this point most of work just took his ability for granted. Which was fine, it just meant he was damn good at his job, but it was nice to get complimented every once in awhile. “Are you going to be there?”

“As head of this investigation, yes.” Griff looked curiously at Lex. “Did you want to?”

“Kinda, but I’ve been away from my actual desk a bit longer than I think they thought I would.” Lex smirked in amusement. “The department is probably falling apart without me.”

Griff offered his hand professionally. “It’s been wonderful working with you.”

Lex rolled his eyes and hauled the other man into a hug. “Likewise.” He pulled back with a grin. “Don’t be a stranger. At the _very_ least tell me what happens.”

“Promise.”


	2. Unwell

It had been over a week and nothing. Honestly, Lex was worried. It was true maybe Griff blew him off or something, but even decent professionalism dictated a follow up call with a partnered agency. He had steadily been getting more and more distracted as the week progressed, to the point even Stiles was noticing.

“If you’re that worried about the guy, why don’t you hack him or whatever?”

Lex gave him an incredulous look. “You don’t just ‘hack’ a person because you’re worried!” He huffed at his screen in frustration.

“Well, what if something got him? What if the sting went bad?” Stiles smirked, knowing full well what he was doing.

Lex glared up at him. “Don’t parrot my inner panic!” He pointed sharply. “You are not helping.”

Stiles nonchalantly shrugged. “I mean, it’s clear you want to. I’m just helping.”

“Ugh, fine.” Lex quickly tapped out a series of commands, easily pulling up Griff’s information. He sorted through the recent entries, studiously ignoring Terri’s raised eyebrow. Stiles might not realize, but she knew the information didn’t come that way. He had to write a program for it. It looked like Griff had fallen off the map a few days ago. He frowned and dug deeper, sneaking into the FBI itself. They had caught the killer, but a misfire had nearly killed a hotel worker that happened to be in the room too. Hm. Another couple of keystrokes and he finally found a thread. Griff has been quickly reassigned to investigate a facility of some sort. Classified.

Terry nudged him. “You’re getting into trouble territory.”

Lex started at the touch, blinking over at her, then back at the bright and shiny classified label. “Yeah, you’re right.” He sighed and backed out. “He probably can’t contact me because of the classified thing.” He still stared a long moment at his now empty screen. No matter if he had gotten transferred, Lex would have thought there would have been some sort of update about the case that wasn’t classified. He had CIA work to do right now, but he wasn’t going to leave it alone.

\------

Home was quiet and empty, only filled with the sound of his keys. The classified turned out to be a medical facility studying that weird gene thing he had vaguely heard about. It was an outlier in the news that had somehow gotten major attention, something akin to those brain scans that proved someone was a psychopath a few years back. Lex snorted at it’s name. Evil was subjective at best, totally stupid at worst. Maybe it was working among an entire agency that would qualify as evil to the other side that skewed his opinion, but to him each action needed a basis for judging, and even then it was entirely up to the person who was in charge of judging on if the action was wrong or not.

He dug around more into the facility, finding the lead scientist had killed himself. He did a once-over of the facility and sighed. Underground, no windows, trapped with inmates allowed to talk to each other. Yeah, that could upset someone, and if the person is already tenuous mentally… Lex’s fingers stilled as he remembered the pills.

This time he pulled up the camera feeds, starting from roughly when Griff entered. Not much at first, but the longer he was in the facility Lex could see him twitching, getting distracted at absolutely nothing he could see on the feed. He had even gone back for his medication, which after spending a few days himself with the man, Lex knew he didn’t need them that often. What had him narrow his eyes in suspicion was the female doctor. Dana Ehrhart. She seemed to be going all in on this gene being real, and trying so very hard to fix it. Which was admirable sure, but the problem was those pills she had brought to Griff. They looked like his, but she had brought them from her office, not the front desk. 

He hopped through the video feed, fast-forwarding through the empty bits. He sorted through files on the patients who supposedly had the gene. Sure, they matched in a particular spot, but a quick dig through medical files found that a lot of people did, and in fact some other newer studies thought it may be more linked to hair, as it was close to the part that expressed hair color. What had him cutting quickly back to the feed was the file labeled Griff. He swept through, finding the agent definitely not in his right mind. While Lex was no expert and really only had the files through the facility, he was starting to wonder if Griff had been finding something out, something that may have stopped the research. It got brutal fast, and Lex skipped the worst parts as best he could. Drugged to insanity was painful to watch, especially to someone he knew.

Eventually Lex found where Griff was placed with the other inmates, Ehrhart watching over him, medicating him. Lex stared a long while at the screen, at Griff trapped in his cell. There were times of clarity, of when the drugs wore off, and Griff looked so tired and helpless in those moments. Lex wiped the wet from his eyes and let his fingers play a new tune on his keyboard.

The facility’s camera feed suddenly somehow didn’t work at key moments, as it had already proven to do so with the suicide. Then data began to leak to the FBI, local police, and for good measure the CIA too. Purchase history of what drugs were actually going into the facility juxtaposed against what the good doctor was supposedly giving them. The hallucinogens were the most damning.

It didn’t take long after that for Lex to see results. His monitoring that he set up on the authorities were getting hits on the facility’s name and planning for a raid. Released inmates? Mass death among the security guards? All that had been somehow swept under the rug quietly, and it looked like from the FBI there was some reorganization among the ranks with key firings to start. Lex took a deep breath and leaned back. Now he kept a programed ear out for Griff Krenshaw to show at any and all emergency services. He even routed the search to ping his phone, knowing the raid wouldn’t necessarily happen until tomorrow at the earliest.

\-----

Lex had tried to get some sleep, but his crusade had kept him up late into the night, and his worry kept him up the rest. He sunk into his desk and rubbed at his eyes. Before he could even boot his computer up a hand was at his shoulder. 

He looked up at Joshua, who offered a small smile. “When you hear where he is, you can go.”

“Uh.” Lex blinked a long moment before remembering he had leaked the information to home base too, and a couple of key people would know exactly where the information came from. He sheepishly smiled back. “Thanks.”

Joshua nodded before heading back to his office. Lex took a deep breath and turned back to his computer to attempt to work at least some today. He did manage a few hours before his phone buzzed at him and he fumbled at it to open. Griff was currently at a nearby hospital under heavy observation. He tucked his phone away and quickly pulled up the hospital records that he could, as well as the report on the raid. It had gone relatively smoothly since most of the facility was just doctors at this point. Ehrhart was arrested and while couldn’t be charged for the sanctioned abuse on the inmates, she would be charged for falsifying documents and her much more obvious abuse on Griff. Hospital records showed bruising and other similar injuries, which Lex had partly expected having seen the full video feed. The heavy drugs in his system was another thing entirely, and the FBI recommended observation but expected a demotion to desk jockey, if not a forced retirement.

Lex grabbed the address and stood up, waving through the glass at Joshua. He waved back, shooing him out of the office. Lex gathered his things, nearly forgetting to shut down his computer in his haste. He fidgeted the entire trip over, unsure if he was doing the right thing. Rescuing him was in the right, that wasn’t the question. The problem was he had only really known the man for a few days. Sure they looked alike, but they really were different. The thing was, he had dug a little deeper into Griff since then. He knew he didn’t have any family left, and the loss was traumatic. It was sad, but likely Lex was likely the only person left that might care about him.

He hurried up to the front desk, asking after Griff. For a moment he got resistance on just family members allowed, but he pointed at his face and waited until the nurse actually bothered to look up. He was allowed visitation rights, and told which room to find him in. He felt a little guilty, but he hadn’t technically been lying, the nurse had just assumed.

Lex carefully pushed the door open to his room. He stopped at the doorway, staring at Griff. He logically knew what to expect, but it was still a shock to see him so small and tired, still strapped down for his safety. Lex tentatively stepped up to the bed, watching Griff sleep fitfully. He snuck a glance at the medical chart, parsing what little medical jargon he knew. They had initially put sedatives in his system, but they stopped putting any drugs in since, trying to detox him. The chart said lucid when awake, which was a relief.

The slow beeping of the monitor spiked, and Lex turned to meet panicked eyes. He held up his hands placatingly. “Griff, buddy. It’s okay. It’s Lex.”

The panic softened to recognition, and Griff started to look around the room. “I...I thought…”

Lex lightly touched Griff’s arm. He jumped, making the cuffs clank against the bed. “Sorry. You’re safe now.” He offered a small smile, though worry still creased his brow.

Griff took a long, slow breath. “You’re fine. I…” He closed his eyes, trying to collect himself as best as he could. “What happened? No one will tell me anything.”

Nodding, Lex took a seat in the chair nearest the bed. “Right. They wouldn’t want to upset the patient.” Lex rolled his eyes, knowing lack of information was sometimes more frustrating than otherwise. “What do you remember last?”

Griff grimaced. “A lot of things that I’m pretty sure aren’t real. I think my last real memory is…” He frowned. “I want to say going through the doctor’s things. Maybe Dana giving me my medication back.”

Lex’s expression hardened in beginning anger. “Those weren’t your pills.” He scrubbed at his face, trying to calm back down. There was no point in anger right now, he was here to be support for Griff. “Ehrhart drugged you with a slow building hallucinogen. Combined with what you already have…” Lex lightly rested his hand on Griff’s arm. “You were out of your mind for a bit there.”

“Damnit.” Griff’s fist clenched and he turned to face away from Lex, trying to hide his own panicked upset. Maybe more of those memories were real than he wanted to be. “What did I do.”

Lex shook his head. “You were drugged.”

Griff pinned him with a stare. “I know when you’re being evasive. What. Did. I. Do.”

Leaning back in his chair, Lex sighed and crossed his arms. “I’m not sure, the feed cut out.”

Griff recognized the shutting down, the defense against lying. His brain might have been fried, but Lex he could still read. “You cut the feed. What did you see before you deleted it?”

“I don’t want to tell you.” Lex met his eyes steadily, his statement true. 

Griff was the first to look away and sighed softly. “Just promise me you’ll tell me eventually.”

“I can manage that.” Lex sat back up, his hand resting on Griff’s arm again. “I can tell you that the place is shut down and Ehrhart is in jail.”

“Good.” They sat in companionable silence for a while, both sorting through their own thoughts. Griff knew if Lex wouldn’t tell him, it must have been bad. His memories were a jumble, full of demons and death. He wasn’t sure where all this left him.

Lex lightly cleared his throat. “They’ll have to release you under someone’s watch…” He let the sentence trail off, not really wanting to overstep anything but still sounding hopeful.

Griff barked out a laugh, understanding what he was asking. “What’s with you and people who are nuts?” He rattled the cuffs as proof to his point.

“I mean, if you don’t want to that’s your prerogative.” Lex rolled his eyes, but was smiling in relief. He was glad Griff was able to joke a little, even if it was at their expense.

Griff sunk back into the bed with a sigh, but still smiled. “Honest? It’s nice to know there’s someone waiting.”


	3. 3AM

It took a week, but Griff finally had a clean enough bill of health to be released from the hospital. Lex attentively listened to the doctor on what Griff needed when. He was allowed to have his pills, but only when absolutely needed. Preferably decent food and rest, which meant Lex would have to shop for once and not live off takeout. The nurses were amusing, mostly because he still wasn’t sure they ever checked if they were actually related. In point of fact the hospital seemed to decide his last name was Krenshaw, though all his personal documents and signatures were still simply ‘Lex’.

Even with the need for shopping, they both agreed that the next day would be best. Both were tired of being in the hospital and Lex wanted to just go home. Griff just wanted somewhere that wasn’t a hospital and where he didn’t have to move. It was a relief to finally open the door to his apartment, and he moved out of the way to let Griff enter. He had taken what little time he had between work and visiting to try and pick up and make it generally as hospitable for a second person as a one bedroom apartment could be.

Griff slowly drifted around the apartment at first, taking it in. They were so very different, more than he had initially thought. His apartment was spartan, but Lex’s was colorful. The computer desk and television were the obvious points of interest, the remnants of activity nests surrounding both. Bookshelves flanked the tv full of shows and movies, and the walls were populated by posters from those dvds. 

Lex shut the door and locked it. “Home sweet home.” He smiled and set his bag on the small table near the door and headed across the living room to one of the two doors. “This is the bathroom,” He pointed to one, then gestured at the other. “And that’s the bedroom.” He stopped and stared a moment at the door. “Which you can have, considering.”

Sighing, Griff sunk onto the couch. “Here is fine. I broke my mind, not my body.” Griff rolled his at Lex’s distress at the self-deprecating humor. “I’m _fine_. I don’t...” He frowned and shook his head. “I normally don’t see things if I’m not stressed.” He looked back up at Lex, a small smile tugging at his lips. “You’re not stressful, I hope.”

“I mean,” Lex shrugged. “I don’t try to be.” He wandered over and sunk into the couch next to Griff. It was a smaller couch, but still plenty of room for two people. Probably wasn’t going to be too comfortable to sleep on, so maybe he convince Griff to trade off or something later. He gestured widely to his entertainment center. “You want to watch anything?”

They sorted through his options, ending up on a standard crime drama. No weird creatures or demons or anything, and Lex had seen enough of it to know the main characters didn’t have a major breakdown or anything either.

No matter what Griff had said, it took somewhere in the middle of the second episode for him to nod off. Lex watched him curiously after pausing the show, the similarity between them stronger now that Griff was on the mend. He wondered if he looked as soft as Griff when he was asleep. Cute too.

Lex immediately stood up and busied himself to find a blanket and pillow and not address his brain at all. The movement jostled Griff, who sat up and rubbed at his eyes. “Sorry. Fell asleep.” Lex dumped the blanket on Griff’s lap and the pillow near the armrest. “Oh. Thanks.” He smiled up at Lex, who offered an awkward smile back. He glanced at the clock and sighed. It wasn’t that late, but he was certainly tired. He fluffed out the fleece blanket and couldn’t help the laugh as he caught the design. “Ironman, huh?”

“It’s a comfy throw, thank you.” Lex grinned back, watching Griff get comfortable. “I like him.”

Griff scooted himself down onto the couch properly, with only the most minimal amount of feet dangle. Short but not too short of a couch, but what did he want from a loveseat? “I’m not surprised. He is kind of a genius programmer, right?”

“Right.” Lex wanted to reach out and pat his shoulder or something, but kept to himself. He just got the man home and resting, no point in making him uncomfortable. “I bet you’re all about Captain America.”

Griff huffed a laugh from under the blanket. “Hawkeye. No powers yet can hold his own. Built his own stuff even without the superpower of money.”

Lex leaned over the back of the couch with a thoughtful smile. “Yeah okay. I see your point.” The smile slipped into a smirk, not that Griff was looking at him. “Not even Bucky?”

There was a longer quiet than Lex thought that would have gotten. “Maybe now.” Griff sounded more thoughtful than upset at least as he rolled over to look up at Lex. “I mean, I do understand him a lot more.”

Lex winced, having not really thought the teasing through. He really needed to learn to think more before speaking. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“You’re fine.” Griff smiled softly and reached up to pat Lex’s arm. “You’re taking care of me, so wouldn’t that make you Steve?”

Lex rolled his eyes. “If you expect me to take a grenade for you, you’re sorely mistaken. Also your arm is still flesh.” He reached down and poked the arm Griff had outside the blanket teasingly.

“Well…” Griff frowned at himself slightly as his brain sort of petered out. “I can’t think of anything. I’m tired and I’ve only seen the movies anyway.” He swatted back at Lex jokingly.

“Oh really?” Lex brightened and gestured back towards his bedroom. “There’s shelves of comics you can read if you want!” He leaned back down against his arms. “I do have to go back to work sometime and it’ll give you something to do.” And it wasn’t totally an excuse to have someone to talk to about them at all. “Or if you want to be pedestrian I own all the movies too.”

Griff rolled his eyes with a smile. “Let me start with a couple of movies and go from there.” He yawned. “Sleep first.”

“Right right. Sorry.” Lex stood up and stretched. “You sleep. Goodnight.”

“Night.” Griff settled under the blanket as Lex headed his way to his computer. He wasn’t as tired as Griff, so he decided to sit up for a bit. A bit turned into a while, which to be fair was normal. What wasn’t normal was the quiet noises he could hear from the couch.

Lex quietly stood up and walked over to the couch to check on Griff. He had rolled over at some point to tuck up against the back of the couch. It reminded Lex of the handful of times he had fallen asleep on the couch too, and he couldn’t help but smile. It faded quickly at the whimper that escaped Griff, and Lex hurried around and knelt next to the couch. He couldn’t remember the right way to wake someone from a nightmare. He slowly reached out and touched Griff’s shoulder, which netted him nothing other than another twitch. He tried pushing on his shoulder slowly, trying not to make it feel like anything violent. Who knew what he saw or how he reacted inside his mind to outside stimuli.

Griff was trapped in the white room again, pressed into a corner. The light was far too bright, but he almost prefered it that way. When his eyes ever adjusted it was almost always his brother waiting, and if not him some other black eyed thing. The priest had called them demons, but the priest hadn’t been real in the end. At least, he was fairly sure he hadn’t been.

That wasn’t that bad though, really. The worst was when the white light became red. Everything streaked in it, wet and tacky. Sticking to the bed, the walls, himself. An unseen hand touched his shoulder and he tried to pull away. Whispers that sounded like his own mind echoed in his ears, except… _...come on man, wake up._ Lex?

Griff flailed wildly awake, his arm’s motion immediately arrested by a hand around his wrist. “You’re safe!” His eyes met near mirrors of his own, but he was finally starting to see some of the differences. At the very least, these showed worry for his well-being and not fear. He took a slow deep breath and nodded. “Yeah. Sorry.”

It wasn’t until Griff relaxed that Lex finally let go of his arm. He offered a small smile. “Glad you’re back in the living. You alright?”

Griff slowly sat up and ran a hand through his hair. “Well enough.” He felt a spike of fear for a second once Lex stopped touching him, but he tamped it back down. He was fine. He was safe. Safer here than even at the hospital. He trusted Lex to have covered his own tracks, and the CIA to fill in whatever miniscule spots he may have missed.

Lex leaned back onto his heels, watching Griff carefully. “If you need someone to wake you, my… uh, my bed is a queen.” He shrugged, trying for nonchalance and not sure if he was succeeding. “It’d be more comfortable too.”

Griff rolled his eyes with a smirk, but relief in his voice. “I wouldn’t mind if there’s room, or do you sprawl in your sleep?”

Lex grinned. “I don’t think I do? You have full right to shove me out of the bed if I do.” Lex stood up and headed towards his computer. “Gimme a sec to close stuff up and we can head to bed.”

Griff slowly stood, watching Lex busy himself at the computer. He didn’t have to come to bed with him, but if he was tired Griff wasn’t going to argue. There was something comforting in the idea of someone nearby, someone who was safe. He snagged the pillow off the couch and trailed after Lex when he headed towards the bedroom. “Thanks.”

“You’re always welcome.” Lex smiled back at Griff. He gestured towards the bed. “Which side?”

“Um.” Griff stared in consideration. He never really had to think about it, his own bed being empty most of the time too. But that was before. The left only had a small walkway and it was right next to the wall. It felt somehow safer and he walked to it, sitting down. “This will work.”

Lex nodded and quickly changed while Griff settled down. He looked over at Griff, who looked comfortable enough, and turned off the light. He easily found his way to the bed since his room hadn’t changed in a decade and tucked himself in. He kept to the edge, though reached out to see how far Griff was from him. Griff too was sticking to the edge, though not quite as far over. He grinned into the dark. “Good, I can reach you to smack you.”

Griff snorted a little in humor. “I’ll try not to wake you then.” He also reached out to lightly pat Lex, it felt like his side. “Night.”

“Night.”


	4. Hand Me Down

Lex thought that he’d find it hard to fall asleep with another body in the bed, but he drifted off quickly. He didn’t stir until his phone chirped at him from the living room at some point in the morning, if the sun streaming in was any indication. His back was warm, and it was nice. He hadn’t realized how much he missed someone else in the bed, so he tried his best not to move. Griff’s breathing was steady and soft, so he hopefully hadn’t had any nightmares. It was comforting, feeling another living person even nearby.

The breathing shifted into a sigh. “I can feel you awake.” Griff rolled over to lean on his elbows, putting a little bit of distance between them.

Lex rolled onto his back to look up at him, the space feeling so much further than it actually was. He tried his best to put the feeling aside. “You sleep alright?”

With a soft smile, Griff nodded. “Sorry for crowding you.” He shrugged, which was cutely awkward while leaning on his elbows. “Kinda did it in my sleep.”

“You’re fine. If anything I think I slept better too.” Lex rolled back over to get up, still trying to sort his mind. He thought himself generally straight, but whatever on that. Plenty had exceptions one way or another. What was getting to him was the fact he was essentially finding _himself_ cute. Plus, you know, this kinda thing was a two-way street so Griff would need an opinion on it and it wasn’t something he wanted to lose his new friend over. He wandered into his closet, staring at his clothes for the day. Griff needed clothes too, but he supposed his would fit. He called out of the closet as he pulled a couple of outfits down. “Shower or breakfast first?”

Griff grimaced at himself. He still vaguely smelled like the hospital and a little like nightmare sweat. “I wouldn’t mind a shower.”

“Sounds good.” Lex put the two sets of clothes out and gestured to the dresser. “Underwear is in there. I’ll go start coffee.” He hurried out of the room, trying his best not to think how much he might actually know what Griff looked like naked. He needed coffee. Also his phone, since that’s what woke him.

Griff watched Lex hurry off, smiling a little to himself. Coffee did sound really good. The bathroom was fairly neat, only slightly cluttered in a used kind of way. It reminded him that he needed a toothbrush and other small things like that. Maybe they could swing by his own apartment to save money on those types of things.

He took a long moment to stare at himself. For one, he needed a shave. He and Lex were nearly identical, but he was sure he had lines the other didn’t, even with his CIA work. The time in the hospital alone left tired trails under his eyes, and the worried lines in his forehead and edges of his mouth were years in the army and more in the FBI.

He sighed and began to set up the shower, undressing. He hadn’t stared at Lex or anything, but he was sure his face was less lined, save for maybe laugh lines or eye crinkles. He glanced at himself again before stepping into the shower, idly wondering what else about them was the same. They had the same coloring, and they even tended to the same hair style. Their jawline and base facial structure were identical too. They were both pretty fit, probably because of their jobs, though Lex seemed a slight bit slimmer. He lightly poked his own stomach as he let the warm shower run over him. Yeah, it had been a bit since he had exercised.

He didn’t dally in the shower too long, borrowing just enough shampoo so his hair wasn’t a mess. It was seriously nice to be able to properly shower again. Once he was done it took him a moment to find the spare towels, but he managed it. He did have to borrow his hairbrush though. He wrangled up all the pieces to a decent outfit from what Lex pulled out and the dresser, and wandered his way back into the main room.

Griff smiled wide at the sight of a perfect cup of coffee waiting on the counter for him. Lex gestured to it and the creamer next to it. “I wasn’t sure how you like it…”

“Thanks.” Griff poured a smidge into the coffee, barely lightening it at all before taking a sip. “Perfect.”

Lex pulled a face and sipped from his light caramel shade of coffee. “Wow, no.” He tried to ignore the look of pleasure that crossed Griff’s face. He happened to know exactly what he looked like during certain events after a surprise mirror once, and Griff apparently really liked his coffee.

Griff laughed at his disgust. “You’re coddled at the CIA if you can get it light and it still taste good. Ours was genuine cop shop coffee and powdered creamer.” He took another long sip in satisfaction before looking around the kitchen curiously. “So, what’s for breakfast?”

“Um.” Lex shrugged idly, sipping at his own coffee. “I don’t eat breakfast. I think there’s some toaster pastries in the freezer?”

Staring, Griff slowly shook his head. He’d ask of Lex was joking, but he was pretty sure he wasn’t. It wasn’t exercise that made him thinner, it was not eating. He headed to the fridge and pulled open the door. It was a very sad sight to greet him. Some condiments and a couple of takeout containers. “Yeah, When was the last time you entered a grocery store?” He picked up a jar shoved way in the back of the shelf and read it. “...eight years ago?”

Lex had the decency to blush and snatched the jar from his hand. “Don’t worry about it.” He tossed the jar into the trash can and walked towards his desk. “...Let me get some paper to make a grocery list.”

Griff shook his head. “Not sure you need it. You kinda need…” He gestured expansively at the kitchen. “Everything.” He laughed at the look of distress Lex was giving him. “Don’t worry, I can cook so I can shop food too.”

Lex perked up. “You can cook?” He gestured, embarrassed, towards his counter and a stack of takeout menus. “All I can do is call a phone number.”

Nodding, Griff took a more in depth tour of Lex’s kitchen, opening cabinets. He at least had a couple of pots and a frying pan, so it was a start. “I can work with this. Anything you particularly want?”

Thinking, Lex drifted back to his coffee without the paper and pen. “Um. How about spaghetti?” As far as he understood that was easy and simple, and he knew he liked eating it.

“Sounds good.” He tapped his chin in thought. “We can’t just eat that all week though. How about homemade burgers too?” He stopped and stared a moment at Lex in dawning worry. “Where’s my wallet?”

Lex gestured towards the far end of the counter nearest the living room. “In the bag. We never did ‘unpack’ last night.” He finger-quoted the word, as it was only the shoulder bag Griff had at the facility.

Griff smiled slowly. “Good.” He pulled out and re-inspected the pan and the stove. They would work just fine. “How about steak and blue cheese? My treat.”

“Uh, wow.” Lex laughed at Griff’s cheerful grin. “Why not? Celebrate your rescue from the hospital.” He was glad to see that smile again. It had been rare before, but since the hospital nonexistent. He was pretty sure there was a lot he’d say yes to, to see more of that smile.

Griff started to open the cabinets Lex was using as a pantry. “Why don’t you go get a shower? I’ll figure out what we’ll need at the store.” He shifted some things around. “Looks like you’re lacking in spices too.”

It wasn’t like he cooked or anything, but he kept his mouth shut and headed his way to the bathroom. His brain twitched slightly at the brush and such out of place, even though he knew exactly why. Years of living alone and CIA training made him a little skittish. He took a moment for a deep breath, trying to settle himself. He was supposed to be taking care of Griff, not having the man cook for him. At the same time, what sort of food would he provide? Takeout? It was supposed to be generally healthy, not premade crap. And per Griff’s own words, it wasn’t his body that broke.

Lex began getting ready for the shower himself, also looking himself over in the mirror. In his case he was checking if he needed to shave or not. Which he was fine. His mind however wanted to compare things, but things he had yet to see. If he ever would and honestly, he had known the other man what, a month at most? Was it his ego? He sighed to himself as he climbed into the shower. Maybe a little, but he did like the guy as a person too. Griff was nice to talk to, and for once someone he could talk a little shop with. Not everything of course, as that was the nature of the game, but it was something. Hell, he had more personality in common with Griff than Olivia and he put up with her ass for awhile.

So fine, maybe he was more okay with the idea than he thought, but he had no clue if Griff was, or even would be okay if told. For now he’d try his best to not fuck up the friendship part first, then maybe when Griff was a bit further from all the trauma he might say something. Maybe.

Lex scrubbed his hair probably harder than it needed, frustrated with how much this was distracting him. He hadn’t even checked his phone and if it was work they were probably worried by now. He always checked his phone. He rinsed, dried off, and got dressed in quick order, hurrying out back to the kitchen. He found Griff with the pad and pencil scribbling something down.

Griff looked up with a slight smile and pointed the pencil at Lex’s phone on the counter. “It rang, twice.”

“Shit.” Lex snatched it up and looked over who called. The first message was just a text from Terri to see if he was okay, which considering he brought someone home the night before they didn’t know made sense. There was another text he had missed at some point, this time from Stiles, asking pretty much the same thing. Both calls were Terri, which was sort of standard, since if he missed the first he’d catch the second. He quickly called back, hoping they hadn’t sent the calvary yet. “Hey Terri!”

“Hey back. You okay?” Terri sounded concerned yet relieved, which was understandable.

Lex couldn’t help the small smile towards Griff. “Yeah, it’s all good. We were talking, then I took a shower. Honest.”

He could nearly picture her eyebrows slowly raising. “Okay. Good. I’ll… tell Stiles then.”

Sighing, Lex shook his head. He was pretty sure he was going to get a weird text from Stiles in a few minutes. “Look, I’m human, I can miss things sometimes.”

He heard a faint laugh filter over the line. “I never thought I’d hear you admit that.”

He rolled his eyes, not that she could see. “Harhar. I’m fine, I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up at her goodbyes and shrugged at Griff. “Friends. Can’t choose them.”

“...They’re exactly who you choose.” Griff grinned though, and tapped at the list. “At least some of us anyway. Finished the list.”

“Great!” Lex leaned over and grimaced at the length. “Uh, wow. I guess I was out of a lot of things.”

“You think?” Griff folded the list and pocketed it. “But we’ll eat most of it this week, I guarantee it.”

\---------

The shopping went easily, as Griff was doing most of it. Lex trailed behind, trying to learn how to shop and listening to Griff as he told him what most of it was for as they got it. Maybe he’d absorb more when they were cooking, but he was enjoying listening to him talk. Griff did grant him some leeway and had him go pick out a dessert. That was easy, and Lex snagged a tiramisu and set it lovingly into the cart. He got a raised eyebrow but no argument there. Coffee was coffee, and a tiramisu was good.

The Stiles text he had been expecting did arrive, and containing roughly what he thought. Some dumb joke about self love, and Lex might have found it funny if he didn’t already sort of harbor feelings. Which he had been trying to tamp down, but watching Griff shop and be himself rather than the tough FBI agent wasn’t helping. Not that he didn’t enjoy the whole FBI thing too, which was a new territory his mind wanted to wander into too. He grumbled at his phone as he sent a _no_ to Stiles. He didn’t want to ruin Griff’s recovery, but he was going to go insane if he didn’t say something sometime soon. Just a few days at least, see where Griff sat mentally and emotionally. He already looked and acted better since being brought home and it had only been a day. The nightmare was a concern though, but if sharing his bed helped, fine. Sure. He’d just deal with it.

Griff enjoyed being out and about again. He had been trapped in a series of places, and even if he liked Lex and his place it was still another room. At least he was sure Lex would let him walk out if he really wanted to, unlike Dana or the hospital. Not that he wanted to. He enjoyed Lex’s company far to much and really didn’t want to go back to his own apartment. As he debated price over quality in cuts of meat, he realized he simply wanted to stay and never go back if he could help it. It wasn’t fair to Lex of course, they had only been in the same apartment for a day. It was just so much more cheerful than what had been home up until now.

There was also something about Lex that seemed to ground him. Maybe it was how much alike they were, or the fact he hadn’t had a real friend in a really long time. He just knew in the midst of his nightmares Lex’s touch had helped soften them, and apparently it helped him in his sleep too. He had no clue how much it might bother Lex, and he didn’t like taking advantage of him. At the same time, if he wasn’t going to kick him out of his own bed he was going to stay. Lex had been the one to suggest the bed situation anyway, right? So it was fine. Oddly comforting even.

He couldn’t help the small smile as Lex was listening to him wax on about filet mignon versus a new york cut and how the filet was much better but new york was good for price and still be a good quality. Griff dumped the filet into the cart as he wasn’t going to skimp on the steak this time around. He also couldn’t help the babble continue as they walked, talking of pismo and how, if he could manage to store that much, it would save money and still able to eat filet mignon by butchering the piece himself. He liked keeping Lex’s attention on him, and he wasn’t sure why just yet, though he had an unfortunate suspicion.

As they loaded groceries into the car, Lex remembered something. “Hey, did you want to go by your apartment and pick up anything? Since we’re out and everything.”

Griff sighed and leaned against the side of the car. He had thought about it before, but kind of wanted just to go back to Lex’s, which was feeling more like a home than that apartment had in years. “We could, though there’s not much there I need.” He shrugged. “I guess I could grab some clothes so I don’t keep stealing yours.”

Lex shut the trunk and nodded with a grin. “Hey, whatever keeps me from having to do laundry is good.”

Griff laughed and joined him in the car. He probably should check on the apartment anyway. It had been a few weeks since he had last been in it, and who knew, someone might have broken in, or a pipe burst or any number of things. If nothing was wrong he could just grab his go-bag and they could go home.

It didn’t take long to get to his apartment, and even parking was easy. He still had his apartment key on him so getting a temporary guest ticket was easy. Lex followed him in, probably out of curiosity. Griff couldn’t blame him, he would have done the same if their situations were reversed. He gave a lackluster grand gesture at his apartment. “Here it is.”

Lex poked around as Griff headed back to his bedroom. Spartan was almost an overstatement in the way the place was. It was obvious Griff didn’t really care about here, though his bookshelf was stuffed full. The recliner next to it was also of decent quality, probably where he read. Lex wasn’t about to rifle through his cabinets, but he’d bet there was some nice cookware too.

Griff came back out after simply snagging his bag. There was absolutely nothing else he needed. He watched Lex dig around his shelf a bit with a slight smile. “Top shelf is probably more your style.”

Lex had been staring down a row of mysteries, but the top shelf did indeed hold science fiction and a couple of fantasy novels. “You read a lot of stuff.” He pointed at them. “Did you want to grab any?”

Griff shrugged and shouldered his bag. “Not right now. I think I’m really only up for television for a bit.” While his books were always nice, he needed something that took over his entire senses for awhile. Noise especially. “I got what I need if you’re ready?”

Shrugging, Lex turned towards his door. “Hey, from here all I need is you.” He immediately cringed at himself. He hadn’t meant to say it like that, but it wasn’t like it was a lie. 

Griff barked out a laugh and followed after him. “Right.” It was probably a slip of the tongue so he’d let it slide. Something in him wanted Lex to mean it, and he wasn’t going to let that take hold. Not right now.


	5. Long Day

As soon as they stepped into the apartment door, Griff was dismantling and putting away their purchases. Lex was impressed at his efficiency in finding space for everything. For once his fridge was full. In the meantime he theifed Griff’s bag and took it to the bedroom. There really wasn’t a great place for it, so he set it on the foot of the bed. Maybe he needed to empty a drawer or something. Or part of his closet.

He sighed and wandered back into the kitchen, aiming to help Griff with whatever he was up to, which looked like prepping for dinner. “Anything I can help with?”

Griff surveyed all he had laid out. He pointed to the potatoes and peeler. “Can you peel?”

“Um.” He picked up the peeler and a potato, eyeing it. He knew how, he just never really had to before. Wandering over to the trash can, he gave it a good college try. Yeah, it wasn’t hard at all, just kind of finicky. He kept an eye on Griff because he really couldn’t help it, watching him prepare a pot of water set up to boil and set up a frying pan. He accidentally nicked his finger and hissed.

Griff hurried over, concern crossing his face. “You okay?”

Sighing, Lex offered up his hand to show he was fine, just ever so slightly scraped. It was just peeling potatoes, it wasn’t supposed to be so complicated. “Scared myself more than anything. Sorry.”

Griff laughed and patted him on the shoulder. “You’re doing fine for a first time.” He turned back to the kitchen and what he had been preparing. “When you’re done with that, if you can manage, cut the potatoes into slightly smaller pieces and put them in the pot.” He pointed to the water he had set up. “Try to keep all your fingers please.”

Lex rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue, which got Griff to roll his eyes right back and turn to deal with the meat. Lex tried to concentrate more on the potatoes this time, though did glance up occasionally to see Griff rub the steaks in some spice mix he didn’t recognize. He finally managed to peel all the potatoes and got them cut into pieces, even with his brain making bad rubbing meat jokes that he kept entirely to himself. He dropped them into the pot carefully and Griff nodded in approval.

Griff was glad for the help, even if it was small things like the potatoes. He next pointed Lex to carefully slicing mushrooms for simmering later, while he tested the pan for heat. It was perfect so he lightly oiled it and carefully set the steaks down. It would take them a bit to cook for each side, so he noted the time on the timer and counted out to roughly where he would need to flip them.

He watched Lex carefully slice the mushrooms, unintentionally concentrating on his hands and how they held the knife. Not the best at cooking, but he was passable. He looked down at his own hands, unintentionally comparing them to Lex’s. Nearly identical like everything else he could see, though likely there were some different scars. He couldn’t tell those types of details this far away, and staring at hands like he was, was probably considered creepy.

Lex looked up and pointed to the pile of thinly sliced mushrooms triumphantly. “Did it!”

“Thanks.” Griff couldn’t help the smile at Lex’s victory, even if he could have done it much easier. A glance at the timer told him it was time to flip the steak, and he did so easily, adding just a touch more oil for the other side. As that side cooked he took the moment to pull out the blue cheese. He checked the potatoes, even though the timer hadn’t gone off yet. With a fork test he found they were almost there. He pulled out the shiny new potato masher and set it down next to the pot. The one thing Lex didn’t have, and he wasn’t surprised at all.

Griff gestured roughly to where he remembered the cups being. “Could you get me some water for dinner?”

Lex shrugged and did as asked, and went a step further and set the table too. Why not. First time for everything. He’d even have sarcastically added candles if he had any. Well, maybe not sarcastically but he’d claim that anyway. 

Griff gestured to him from by the stove. “Bring me the plates please.”

Nodding, Lex carried the plates over and Griff set them next to the steak. He transferred them over just as the timer started to beep, signalling the potatoes were done. Griff stepped over to the pot and stopped the burner, letting the water come to a stop. He offered the handle of the masher to Lex with a grin. “This I bet you can do. Just don’t over-mash.”

Lex rolled his eyes and took the handle. “Yessir,” slipped out as he began to break apart the cooked potatoes easily. Griff rolled his eyes turned back to the stove to do a quick caramelization to the mushrooms and added them to the plates. He then dug out the box of potato flakes to help fill out the mash, and found the parsley and butter too. He dumped the stick of butter into the hot water to let it mix, adding a good helping of parsley too. Since he hadn’t said stop, Lex continued to mash. Griff waited a moment more before carefully dumping some of the flakes into the water. “Am I just an appliance? A mixer?”

“I thought appliances didn’t talk.” Griff dumped a bit more in to help balance the mix out right with a grin. A couple of much harder mixes later and he nodded. “Done and done. I think we’re ready to eat!”

“Finally! Cooking takes _so_ long.” He dug out a serving spoon and reached for a plate. He plopped a good helping of potatoes before beelining for the table. 

Griff served himself and grabbed the bucket of crumbled blue cheese on his way, setting it between them. “I hope you like it.”

“It looks awesome.” Lex grinned over at Griff, cutting off a piece. He didn’t know much about preparing a steak, but it certainly seemed right. He took the bite and the mix of flavors just melted on his tongue. “Oh. Oh man.” He would kill to keep Griff in his kitchen, he was certain about that.

Griff’s eyebrows were slowly climbing into his hair as he watched the pleasure wash over Lex’s face. That was… Wow. He loved that look on him. He took a bite to distract himself, and he had to admit he did really well for a basic kitchen. He did watch Lex’s array of happy faces and noises across the table as he tried the steak with the mushrooms and blue cheese, plus the mash potatoes that technically Lex made. Griff was a bit further behind in finishing the meal, but he wasn’t about to complain about the show.

“You are a damn good cook. Don’t ever leave.” Lex took his last bite, hmming over the taste. He eyed his empty plate. His mouth wanted more, but his stomach was pretty full. “Thank you.”

Griff smiled softly in reply. “You’re welcome. I don’t normally have someone else to cook for, so it’s all to my tastes.” He shrugged and pushed the last of his potatoes around. He was full too, and couldn’t fit those last couple of bites. “Glad I could earn my keep.”

Lex shook his head. “You don’t have to earn squat. I’d still do the same even if you couldn’t cook.” He stood and picked up their plates. “Heck, I didn’t know you could cook in the first place, so don’t worry about it.” He dumped them into the sink for later and waved off Griff’s attempts at washing them. He knew Griff hadn’t rested properly in weeks, so herded him towards the couch. “No more work for you. Relax time now.”

Rolling his eyes, Griff sighed and let himself be shepherded. “I am not that helpless. I want to help.” He sat down with a mild huff.

“Sure, that’s fine. A couple of days of rest first, please.” He patted his shoulder. “No stress, remember?”

Griff gave him a flat, unamused stare. “I think I know my own stressors.”

Lex huffed his own sigh. “I know. I just…” He tossed his hands up futilely. “I want to help you, not have you help me.”

“I’ll tell you when I need help. Promise.” Griff took pity on him and pointed towards the tv. “Did you want to continue the show from yesterday?”

“Sure.” Lex smiled in relief, glad Griff wasn’t actually upset with him. He really did want to be the support the guy needed, but he hadn’t really realized how unhelpful he was with day to day things that weren’t extremely basic chores. He was such a bachelor it wasn’t even funny.

They nestled into the couch to watch, both leaning a little more inward than necessarily needed. The show was actually pretty good and Lex had been meaning to watch it again anyway, and was glad for the company. Griff was enjoying it, even if it was a bit formulaic at times. The overarching storyline was engaging as was each smaller criminal thing that needed to be solved for the day.

Lex felt Griff’s breathing settle out against his side and his head nod a handful of episodes in. It ended up resting on his shoulder and Lex couldn’t help the soft smile. While it was likely an accident he was glad for the trust Griff had in him. He very carefully, softly snuck a light kiss to Griff’s hair. It was a tiny indulgence he was going to allow himself for his hidden feelings.

Griff hadn’t actually fallen asleep, but he had wanted to simply rest against Lex so much he had decided on the rouse. To be truthful he was still very tired and had nearly actually fallen asleep, except for the soft touch to his hair. A kiss. He softly smiled and let a hand lightly rest on Lex’s leg. Maybe all these feelings weren’t going to be as awkward as he feared.

Lex stiffened suddenly at Griff’s movement. Oh god he was awake and had felt his kiss. He very slowly started to relax as Griff didn’t leave or freak out and was lightly rubbing his thigh with his thumb instead. He timidly wound his fingers with Griff’s, who gripped them tighter. This was good. Awesome. Lex couldn’t help the uplifting feeling spreading through his chest. He snuck another light kiss before looking back at what they were watching.

As the episode ended Griff unfolded himself from the spot under Lex’s arm he had slowly worked himself into, half napping. He honestly wasn’t sure what was going on in the show, but it was procederal enough he was pretty sure he’d get an update next episode. He stretched, more aware now than before of Lex’s eyes on him. He stood up slowly, trying to sort through just how to ask. The bed was no longer just friends sharing a space, it couldn’t be. He turned around nervously. He gestured towards the bedroom awkwardly. “I think I need to sleep.”

Lex smiled widely in reply. “Is that an invite to my own bed I hear?” He stood up and lightly shoved Griff’s shoulder in the right direction. “I can be a gentleman, promise.”

Griff rolled his eyes and relaxed. Why he was nervous at all with Lex he wasn’t sure. “Sure you are. I’ll believe it when I see it.” He reached out and snagged Lex’s hand, leading him towards the bedroom. “Gentleman for now, please.”

Lex let himself be led as he got a little thrill at the ‘for now’. There was promise in those words that he was going to just settle into for the time being. But he’d be good tonight, he promised. Didn’t mean he didn’t still have a smart mouth. “Awake Lex is a gentleman anyway. I don’t have any control over asleep Lex.”

Griff snorted in humor. “Excuses excuses.” He only let go of Lex’s hand to deal with the go-bag still sitting on the bed where he assumed Lex had left it. He sighed and dug through the bag, pulling out the much smaller bag of bathroom things. He hadn’t managed to brush his teeth since before the facility, so he probably should now that he could. He snagged the shirt and soft pants that served as his pajama set and tossed the bag to the floor for later. He pointed at the bed. “Go ahead and get comfortable, I’ll be a moment.”

Grinning, Lex snapped a sarcastic salute. “Yessir.” Griff just shook his head and headed into the bathroom, probably to change. With that in mind, Lex pulled out his own set of sleepwear and changed, settling under the covers on what was now his side of the bed. Was this really real? Did he maybe have some weird fever dream about snuggling Griff? He couldn’t help the giddy smile to himself. Maybe it was a little dumb to feel so strongly so soon, but he was ecstatic Griff felt at least something for him, if not the same. He might not say this out loud just yet, but he very well may call this love.

Griff hurried through getting dressed, and only lingered on his teeth as long as he did because frankly they needed it. He took one last moment to simply steady his breathing. He was really going to do this. The last time he had even thought of a relationship was probably years ago. He couldn’t deny that he cared about Lex, and he really did want to see this through. He nodded to himself and headed back out into the bedroom, the nervousness leaking back into his movements.

Scooting down a bit so he was properly laying down, Lex opened his arms wide with a grin. “Snuggle-time!”

Laughing, Griff settled under the blankets, resting his head on Lex’s chest. As Lex’s arms encircled him, he couldn’t help but relax so easily. His touch was comforting, banishing the nervousness he had felt. Yeah, he did belong right here.

Lex let his hand run through Griff’s hair slowly, petting him. He had relaxed so easily into the cuddle he didn’t bother trying to correct how they were laying. He slept better on his side, so maybe once Griff was asleep he could roll them over or something. Or he could just enjoy this, that was the best option. He lightly kissed the top of Griff’s head again, and felt an answering press against his chest. Oh yeah, he wasn’t moving.


	6. Push

The morning Griff woke to find himself well trapped, though not in a bad way. Lex had his arm and leg thrown over his side, and his other arm came around to keep him pulled close. He couldn’t help his soft smile at the closeness. He hadn’t realized just how much he was missing this. He rolled over carefully, trying his best not to disturb the sleeping octopus but still see his face. Meeting sleepy brown eyes meant he failed, but he lightly kissed his forehead anyway. “Morning.”

“Mornin,” was half-mumbled as Lex attempted to pull him closer, not that he really could. He nuzzled Griff’s nose with his own. “Mmm. Love.” He was morning-fuzzy, but he knew at least he was snuggling with his favorite person this morning.

That earned a grin from Griff, his heart feeling like it skipped a beat. Well, he hadn’t expected that so early, but likely Lex was so snuggly to not notice he’d let it slip. He nudged at Lex’s arm so he could maybe get up. “Can I get up?”

Lex shook his head and tried vainly to snuggle just a little harder. He didn’t want to have to deal with the morning, he hated mornings. It was a sunday, they were sleepy days. He was unfortunately starting to wake up a bit more every moment. “Do you have to?”

“I need to pee.” Griff lightly pushed at Lex’s arms again. It wasn’t horribly pressing yet, he could probably stick around for a few more minutes, but it was a way to get Lex to let him up.

Lex sighed and relented, rolling back over to his side of the bed. “I _guess_.” He was also starting to slowly turn red, remembering what he had said a moment ago. He had meant to wait but he wasn’t lying, sleep Lex had a mind of his own sometimes.

Griff rolled to look at Lex better. He smiled softly and lightly brushed a hand against Lex’s cheek. “Thanks. I’ll make breakfast.” He rolled over and out of the bed, making a quick stop at the bathroom first before heading towards the kitchen. He had bought eggs and bread, and aimed to make some french toast for Lex this morning.

Lex sighed at the touch, relaxing into the bed a bit longer. Yeah no, he was so lost it wasn’t funny. He slowly rolled out of bed, not wanting to get up but Griff had left for the kitchen already. He didn’t want to be a morning person, but the heart chose what the heart chose. He slowly dragged himself into the kitchen, his eyes lighting on the coffee pot, which was already merrily brewing. Okay, maybe having a morning person in the house wasn’t that bad. He settled at the table, letting his head rest on his arms. It didn’t take long before a cup of coffee and his phone were placed in front of him, and he looked up gratefully to Griff. “How did I function without you?”

Griff grinned and shook his head. “I’m starting to think you didn’t.” Griff turned back to the food he was making, taking a sip of his own coffee. He flipped the cinnamon egg-soaked bread, letting it cook on the other side. He wasn’t sure what they would do with themselves today, and he had a feeling Lex didn’t know either. It looked like he tended to sleep most mornings anyway.

Lex carefully sipped at his coffee, finding it nearly as sweet as he normally made it. Wonderful. He poked at his phone a moment, checking for messages or anything else important. Some emails that could wait until monday, and one lone text that arrived sometime late at night. Stiles again. _you sure?_ It was followed by a winking emoji. He had only sent a _no_ before, so it apparently meant he was being obvious about it. Great. Just… great. He’d have to deal with that on Monday. He sent back a simple _fu_ and wondered what he’d get back, or if he’d just get the ribbing in person.

A plate slid in front of Lex, and he twitched in surprise. Griff grinned down at him. “Eat.” He also set down some syrup next to the plate, which Lex picked up and drizzled on top. Griff settled into the seat next to him, covering his portion in just as much syrup. “A bit fancier than normal, but it’s Sunday.” Also if he could get Lex addicted to good breakfasts maybe he would start to eat healthier.

Lex cut off a good-sized bite and shoved it in his mouth. It was wonderful. “Not fair.” He took another bite and slowly chewed it, savoring the taste. “I think I’d love you for this alone.” He took a quick sip of his coffee to hide his sudden blush. There was that word again.

Griff softly smiled as he ate his own breakfast. “Glad you like.” He slowly picked at his own food, watching Lex enjoy his food again. He tentatively offered a hand out across the table, trying to be casual about it. He wasn’t going to push it. Fingers quickly twined with his, even though he could see Lex found it harder to eat one-handed. “Not to make it awkward, but we didn’t really talk about this last night.” Lex paused in his eating, looking curiously over at him. “I mean.” Griff huffed slightly. “What do you want from this, us?”

The worry that had been blossoming in Lex’s chest softened and he smiled. “Everything.” He blushed slightly, realizing how sappy that was. He squeezed Griff’s hand back. “I know we haven’t known each other long, but for some reason I already want you to move in.”

A soft laugh escaped Griff. “I was already thinking this was more home than my place yesterday.” He shook his head slightly. “Though my logical part says keep my apartment for a little longer, my emotions say otherwise.”

Lex’s smile widened and he shoved another bite into his face, partly mumbling his next words. “Sounds like we’re on the same page.”

Griff gave him a look of exasperation. “Don’t talk with your mouth full.” They sat in silence for a moment, Griff thinking about what was said. He was pretty sure both felt fine with what was happening, but a tiny background voice in his head was worried about rushing this. How he just might ruin it with an episode, or maybe, god forbid, hurt Lex. He tried to shove that voice far into a corner, but he knew himself well enough it wouldn’t be completely silenced. Lex had gotten very important very quickly, and he wasn’t sure what to do with that. Hell, he had very few people who had ever felt this important to him ever.

Lex worked on demolishing the last of his breakfast, happy that this was really real. He hadn’t been truly worried, but there was always those niggling doubts, that sense of disbelief in it’s reality that comes with something really good. He looked up when Griff’s grip got a little tighter, knowing that thoughtful look. “Hey. We’re good, promise.” He smiled brightly when Griff looked up in surprise. “Don’t worry.”

Taking a deep sigh, Griff nodded. “Sorry. Just…” He lightly tapped his head with his free hand. “I don’t know how long this peace will last.”

Lex gave him an incredulous look. “And you don’t think we’d be fine?” He stood up and walked around the table, leaning over to wrap his arms around Griff’s neck. “We’re _fine_.”

Griff’s arms wrapped around Lex’s waist in answer. “Good.” It helped to hear Lex say that. Oh, it never fully banished the voice, but being able to physically hold on made it quiet. He didn’t want to let go, but he loosened his hold anyway for a change of subject to happier things. “I’m guessing you start work on Monday again, which leaves us today.” He really couldn’t help the faint smirk. “What did you want to do?”

Lex’s eyebrows slowly rose at the smirk. Now that was an idea. He gave a grand nonchalant shrug. “We have the show we were watching or, well,” He looked Griff over appraisingly, “I was wondering just how much alike we really are.”

Griff snorted in humor and stood up, keeping his hands on Lex’s hips. “I bet you’d never thought you’d use that pickup line.”

Lex grinned. “It’s not like we haven’t been thinking about it.” He let his fingers trail along Griff’s jawline. He could feel Griff’s thumbs start rubbing circles into his hips, so he pulled him that last step forward. Their first kiss was soft and lingering. Lex couldn’t help the wide smile against the other’s lips, and he could feel a smile in return. Yeah, this was perfect.

Griff sighed softly, relaxing against Lex. Sure there probably would be plenty of things to bother him in the future, but this simple kiss banished all his current worry. It was almost weird to finally be able to be relaxed and truly happy, not just comfortably existing. He pulled Lex even closer, wrapping his arms around his waist and deepening the kiss. His happiness, his Lex.

Lex easily pressed against Griff, loving the feel of their lips against each other. He couldn’t help the soft noise as Griff’s lips opened a touch. As they began to explore each other’s mouths, Lex tried to carefully move them towards the living room and hopefully a place a bit more comfortable than the kitchen.

Agreeing wholeheartedly with the move, Griff slowly started stepping backward in that direction. He however refused to let go, instead letting his fingers find their way up under Lex’s shirt. They were supposed to be comparing each other after all, right? He hiked the shirt up even higher, breaking their kiss so he could pull it off.

Lex wasn’t going to argue, and helped tug the shirt over his head. As soon as it cleared he had Griff lovingly kissing along his collarbone. It looked like he woke a hunger in him, and he wasn’t going to complain at all. Well, maybe a tiny bit as Griff wouldn’t relent so he could pull off his shirt in turn. “Hey, skin please.”

Griff’s eyes met his as he pulled his shirt off, a bright amber of interest likely reflecting his own. Lex managed a few more steps unhindered, but nearly lost the ground when he stepped back into Griff’s space to touch skin. Fingers entwined his belt loops as Griff tugged him further towards the bedroom. Lex pressed forward with his pull, running his hands lovingly along his chest and stomach.

Griff felt his back press against the door and his hand scrambled for the doorknob in surprise. He tried his hardest to calm the sudden trapped feeling, trying to bury his mind in how wonderful Lex felt against him. He wanted this, damn it. He refused to break their body contact, but he couldn’t deny the sudden rush of relief when the door fell away.

The flash of negativity was immediately banished as Lex’s lips trailed kisses along his neck, his hands running down his back. Griff let his own hands dig into his shoulder blades, tracing his spine. He couldn’t help the shiver as Lex nibbled lightly at his earlobe, or the the second one at the puff of air with Lex’s laugh. He immediately mimicked the motion, realizing Lex was truly aiming to compare.

It was Lex’s turn to shiver at Griff’s ministrations. They were more alike than he thought, and he had to wonder just how many more fun spots were the same. He couldn’t help the low roll of his hips as Griff ran his hands hard along his lower back, fingers sliding under the edge of his pants. 

They continued their movement towards the bed, the back of Griff’s knees fetching up against the edge. He let himself fall, hauling Lex with him. Lex practically squeaked in surprise, getting Griff to laugh before leaning on his elbows to catch him in a kiss. Lex took this as an invitation to climb higher, his arms bracing at the side of Griff’s head, trying his best not to break the kiss.

As Lex’s hips settled onto his something skipped and slid into place wrong in Griff’s mind. Goddamnit not now. “Off.” He could feel his breath getting labored, the edges of panic digging its claws in. “Off!”

Lex immediately backed up and off, not sure at all what was wrong, but easily recognizing distress. “Griff?”

Griff sharply shook his head, pushing Lex back another step as he got up. “Space.” Great, He was down to one word sentences. He rubbed at his eyes when there was the barest flicker at the corner. Not that too. Pills. He needed his pills. He quickly bee-lined to the bathroom, casting around for them.

Lex stood stunned and hurt, unsure as to just what happened. They were enjoying themselves, right? Had he… had he almost hurt him, _forced_ him? He could see Griff standing in the bathroom, leaning on the counter. He very tentatively stepped to the doorway, but kept his distance. “I’m sorry.”

Another sharp shake of his head. It wasn’t Lex’s fault it was his own stupid mind. But he could barely form the right thoughts in his head much less explain it right now. He at least managed another word. “Pill.”

Lex’s eyes widened at Griff’s word as he realized at least a tiny bit of what might have happened. He bolted to the kitchen where the bottle had been left and hurried back. He offered out the pills and Griff took them, fumbling a bit in the process. He managed to get one out without tipping the whole container over, using the sink water to help wash it down. Lex watched the whole proceedings with trepidation, fearing still it was something he did.

Griff took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. The pills weren’t instant, but taking them did help calm him, knowing he would be actually fine soon. Logically a placebo effect, but he’d take what he could get. He turned to try to apologize, but faced an empty doorway. A spike of fear worse than the panic shot through him as he rushed towards the bedroom.

He nearly ran right into Lex coming back in. Griff reached out tentatively at first, then quickly wrapped his arms around Lex. He took a deep, grounding breath of relief. Solid and real, he hadn’t lost the one good thing in his life, not yet.

Lex dropped the shirts he had been holding, carefully returning the tight hug. Trying to calm his own panic, He slowly rubbed Griff’s back. He thought he had royally fucked things up. He still wasn’t sure if it was his fault, but at least he might have been forgiven. He kept his voice as soft and steady as he could. “Griff, you okay?”

Griff shrugged slightly, though loosened the death grip he had on Lex. He wasn’t quite ready to let go though. “Better, not perfect.” He sighed against his shoulder. “Sorry.”

Lex shook his head. “No, you’re fine. I shouldn’t have pressured you.”

“What?” Griff pulled back enough to look Lex dead in the eye. “I wanted it.” He huffed a bit in almost embarrassment, feeling a little bit better the more they talked. “I pulled you on top of me.”

“But I…” Lex frowned as Griff started to glare. “I feel like there’s something I can correct on my end.”

“No.” Griff shook his head. “My brain, my fault. Neither of us knew that would happen.” He sighed, realizing he was far too used to his episodes. He shouldn’t be the one consoling. To be fair Lex’s touch alone seemed to be helping.

Lex carefully pulled Griff back against him. “I want to make you happy and safe.” He could feel Griff relax in his arms. He hadn’t realized how unprepared he was for Griff, but he was willing to learn and be his support, whatever that entailed.

“It’s not a logical thing, it never is. I _know_ my safest place is here.” He faintly smiled against Lex’s neck. “I’ve been my happiest here. You don’t want to know the last time I wanted to have sex.”

Lex snorted in humor, relaxing a bit himself as he realized Griff was feeling better. “We met through my last one.”

Griff winced in sympathy, starting to piece some of Lex’s reactions together. Being accused of rape probably left their own scars. No contest his were a lot worse than Lex’s, but he wasn’t about to belittle them either. He shifted uncomfortably and gestured towards the couch. “Can we sit?”

“Yeah, no, let’s move.” Lex pulled away so they could walk better, letting his hand slip into Griff’s.

Griff felt a short twitch of panic at Lex stepping back, and gratefully latched onto his hand. He was feeling steadily more embarrassed as he felt better, but he couldn’t deny how much of a touchstone of comfort Lex had become. They settled on the couch, Lex offering an arm up for cuddles, which Griff gladly took. “Sorry for being so clingy.”

Grinning, Lex lightly kissed the top of his head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m fine being a human teddy bear.”

Griff shook his head. “I wouldn’t apologize if it was just that. I’m apparently a mess.” He leaned against Lex anyway, trying to think through why he had reacted that way. Trapped used to not be such a problem, but since his recent nightmares had been about the room he was locked in… it made sense he had a shiny new trauma to tack onto the old ones. There was also an echo of Dana in that position that he was sure was another nightmare, but he didn’t want to think about that.

“You’re not a mess, just human.” Lex let his fingers run through Griff’s hair idly. “I like touching you.” Smirking at an idea, he kissed his hair again. “We’ll just put you on top instead.”

Griff nodded thoughtfully with a small smile of his own. “That could work.” He ran a hand along Lex’s chest, finally remembering the shirts that were still on the floor. Whatever, they could stay there. He was fairly certain his panic had finally cleared, but he probably should give himself just a little more time. “Could we watch a couple of episodes and… then maybe try again?”

Lex felt a thrill knowing Griff trusted him enough to want to. “I’d love to.”


	7. Overjoyed

Those couple of episodes blended into lunch, though they opted to bum around the apartment still shirtless. They chatted about the show over sandwiches that they actually made from ingredients in the fridge. Griff admittedly wasn’t fully paying attention to the conversation as he was feeling much better and Lex was still shirtless across from him. They were very much alike, but there were tiny differences he could see the longer he looked. At least, he thought there were.

“My chest hair is going to catch fire if you stare any harder.” Lex grinned as Griff’s eyes met his again. Griff was definitely acting better. He grinned over the table at Griff. “Do you put something in the food, or is it the cooking that does it?”

Griff laughed, picking up his and Lex’s empty plate. “Maybe you eating real food does it.”

“Hey! Takeout is cooked by people too.” Lex stood up and stretched, grinning as Griff stopped walking to watch. 

Griff sighed and set the dishes in the sink. He’d do them tomorrow while Lex was at work. “I’m going to have to get checked for eye strain.”

“For staring at me too hard?” Lex dramatically gestured at himself with a grin.

Griff leveled a baleful look. “For rolling my eyes too much.”

“You wound me!” Clasping a hand over his heart, Lex stumbled a bit towards Griff. “Better kiss it and make it better.”

Griff easily stepped into Lex’s space. “Where does it hurt?” He lightly kissed where Lex has his hand teasingly.

Lex raised an eyebrow with a smirk. “All over.”

“Best get started then.” Griff shrugged and immediately started softly kissing him along his shoulder and up along his neck.

Lex shivered at the sudden attention, and in turn let his fingers explore skin. Griff was ever so slightly softer than him, though Lex was sure with the way he was feeding him that difference wouldn’t last long. There were a couple of physical scars that spoke of a harder life, but there wasn’t much different he could feel. He finally snagged the edge of Griff’s pants and stepped back, trying to lead him back towards the bedroom.

Griff easily complied, letting himself be pulled along. He admired Lex in front of him, realizing he must go to a gym or do some sort of exercise routine. No one kept tone like that just working behind a desk. Though if he was assigned field work he’d have to have gone through some training. He let his hand run along the bicep he could reach, earning a grin as they entered the bedroom. 

Stepping forward, Griff pressed his advantage, leaving even more kisses along the other shoulder now. Lex laughed and tried to pull him up for a proper kiss, but he continued to trail along his chest next. “You said all over.”

“My lips are part of that.” Lex made a kissy-face.

Griff pretended to consider what he said, letting Lex squirm a moment as his lips grazed a nipple. “Point.” He straightened up and kissed Lex softly, pushing him gently towards the bed.

Lex sat, letting himself be put wherever Griff wanted. He found him absolutely gorgeous and couldn’t help a giddy smile even now. He pulled Griff down for another kiss, letting him invade his mouth. Hands came up to run through his hair and down his sideburns. Well that tingled in a good way. He shivered slightly as Griff seemed to realize this too, fingers digging in his hair while his thumbs stroked back along his jaw.

Griff pressed his advantage, settling between Lex’s knees. Lightly pushing, he laid Lex out before him, only breaking the kiss because Lex couldn’t lay down any further otherwise. He began to trail kisses again, but just because Lex’s mouth was out of range, his hands weren’t. Nimble fingers worked at his pants’ button, so he let his own work on Lex’s. He stepped out of reach for a moment, getting a pout from the man beneath him. He raised an eyebrow as he used the extra room to tug at Lex’s pants. Lex quickly got the idea and lifted his hips to help.

Lex shivered at the hands skating along his hips and legs. He couldn’t stand it anymore and sat up, pulling Griff to him and pushing down at his pants. Both of them needed to be naked, now. He did take a moment to admire Griff once he wrangled the pants off. They were surprisingly alike, even down to the way their hips curved. His hands reached out to trail fingers around the base of Griff’s dick, but found himself pulled closer and his face tilted back up for another deep kiss. This one wasn’t just exploration but an invasion. He wasn’t going to argue.

Griff loved the way his body curved, letting his fingers trail along his ass as he pushed Lex to scoot up higher on the bed. Lex easily complied as they did their best not to break the kiss. The feel of Lex’s tongue on his was sublime as he followed. When Lex stopped somewhere in the middle of the bed, Griff let his hands wander finally. His hands ran along sides and hips, feeling the skin underneath his palms. He was still in awe that Lex even accepted him, much less let him get even this far. He wanted to touch every square inch of his body if he could.

Lex seriously couldn’t help the soft noises escape at the petting hands. He’d probably be unfortunately louder if his mouth wasn’t so occupied. He tangled his fingers into Griff’s hair, rolling against the hands on his hips. He was sure Griff wasn’t doing it on purpose, but he only wanted him even harder now. And god did he mean _harder_. He let one hand run along Griff’s chest and lower, aiming to remind Griff just what friction felt like. 

Griff dug his fingers into Lex’s hips at the hand that wrapped around his dick, rolling his own hips hard down into Lex’s palm. He broke the kiss to sink lower, pressing against Lex, seeking more skin. His mouth nibbled at Lex’s neck as he rolled his hips again, this time feeling the answering roll back. The friction was delicious, even more so feeling the warmth and hardness of Lex’s erection alongside his own.

A tiny moan did escape against Griff’s ear at the roll. Yeah that’s exactly what he wanted. Lex hitched up his legs around Griff’s hips, using the new angle as leverage to push up against Griff even harder. He wasn’t used to being in this position, but for Griff he was perfectly fine with it. Hell, for Griff he wanted it. Digging his fingers into Griff’s ass let him roll against him even closer, Griff’s own hands shifting under his back to keep him close. It felt so damn good, but… “Want.” He flailed an arm towards his nightstand. His coordination was out the window.

Griff immediately backed off in quick worry, but found his movement quickly halted by the hand still on his ass. His little movement was enough for Lex to reach the drawer this time though, and he dug around as he tried to keep some sort of friction with Griff. If he was going to make it difficult for himself, Griff wouldn’t argue. He let his lips trail along the other side of Lex’s neck, relishing the shivers as he raised the difficulty in whatever Lex was trying to do.

“Ah-ha!” Lex pulled out the bottle triumphantly and pushed it into Griff’s hands. At this point he didn’t care which of them Griff went with, he just wanted someone in someone else.

The bottle was cool in his hand as Griff leaned back, grinning just a little at Lex’s squirm at the lack of touch. He snagged a wandering hand and kissed the palm softly. “You sure?”

“Fuck yes.” Lex reached out as far as he could, fingertips just trailing the head of Griff’s dick. He had leaned back too far to reach anything more, but he could see the whole length of muscle twitch at his touch.

Griff ran a palm along the underside of Lex’s length, smiling at the soft noises Lex was making. He moved his hand lower, letting a finger rub against the rim. His other hand was holding the plastic in an effort to warm the liquid inside, but with the way Lex was pushing back against him he really couldn’t wait any longer. It was slightly warmer when he squeezed a bit on his fingers, though still likely cool as he rubbed his coated finger against Lex’s skin.

That was exactly what he wanted. Lex rolled his hips again, the slick on Griff’s finger making the first slide in so easily. Not something he was used to, but god it felt good. Griff was going so slow, but the barest left of his logical mind reminded him it probably would hurt otherwise. Not that he really and truly cared right at that moment. The second and the stretch felt so good he didn’t fully notice that Griff had taken one of his hands until he felt warmth and firm skin against his palm. Oh yeah, he’d help. He waited only long enough to feel the slick added to his hand before wrapping his fingers around him, coating him as best he could while being distracted by the sheer knowledge of where it was going.

Griff’s hand stuttered slightly at Lex’s enthusiasm at helping. As he carefully added a third to be sure he wouldn’t hurt, he paused the hand stroking him. He wanted to actually be in Lex before he came. He watched Lex’s face as he pressed slowly in, this time carefully feeling along the inner wall. He knew he found the right spot when Lex’s eyes closed and a sharper moan escaped. He had to wonder if Lex was always this expressive, and found that knowing he’d find out again sent another wave of heat through him.

The fingers inside swirled around the spot inside him, making Lex roll his hips again, pushing his hand just a little deeper. He gave a small huff somewhere in the middle of his still unintentional moans, and tightened his trapped fingers around Griff. “ _Please_.”

That was a begging he couldn’t say no to. Griff slowly removed his fingers, enjoying making Lex squirm just a little more. He hitched up Lex’s hips and looked down at him again, making absolutely sure. 

Lex felt the pause and met Griff’s eyes. He smirked and tried to inch his hips just a little higher. He got a softer grin in return as Griff slowly began to push in. He leaned back again with another soft moan. Fingers had nothing on this. He watched Griff, and realized he was going slow not just for him. He curled as best he could to reach Griff, pulling him down to brush a kiss against his lips. He rolled his hips, helping Griff along just a little faster. That earned him a soft moan from Griff as he slid the last bit in.

Griff had to take a moment. Lex felt amazing. He slowly ran his hands along Lex’s body and down to his hips, holding him firm. His. Lex’s hands reached up and wrapped around his forearms, tugging just slightly. Oh, he got the message. He started slowly, watching the soft expressions of pleasure crossing Lex’s face. He was sure he had a similar mess of expressions across his own. He shifted slightly, leaning forward to wrap his arms around Lex and pull him against himself. He wanted touch as he moved, to feel their bodies move together.

Lex moved with him, digging fingers into hair to pull him close for a kiss. The angle shifted with their movement and now each thrust dragged across the right spot. He started to protest when Griff loosened his hold, but quickly lost what was left of his conscious thought as he began to stroke his dick with his thrusts. The final buildup was quick, and he wrapped himself around Griff as he came hard.

Griff tightened his own grip around Lex, feeling his muscles spasm around him. He thrust hard and deep, his own orgasm not far behind. He turned to kiss and nuzzle along Lex’s jawline as he stayed tight against him. Not that Lex was letting him go either, his legs and arms still tight around him.

Lex turned to catch Griff’s kisses, shivering slightly at their aftershock twitches. He didn’t want to let him go but as they relaxed and began to cool, he finally registered the all-around sticky feeling he had. He held on just a little longer anyway, trading Griff in lingering kisses.

It was Griff who finally had to relent as his arms were starting to go numb. He climbed out of bed and offered a hand out to Lex. “I think we need a shower.”

Lex took the hand and hauled himself out of bed after him, snagging another quick hug before heading towards the bathroom. He was on cloud nine and wasn’t sure he’d ever come down. He grinned at Griff as he turned on the shower. “You.” He tapped his chest. “Are awesome.”

Griff reached out and hauled Lex into another hug. He bumped their noses together. “Not as much as you.”

Lex took a moment to sink into another long kiss. He pulled away only to be able to get into the shower and pull Griff along with him. He stole another kiss as he reached for the soap. Lex proceeded to dump a lathered loofa into Griff’s hands. “Scrub me.”

“I haven’t even gotten to rinse yet.” Griff mock-complained as he began to run the scrubbie along Lex’s arms. He was going to take the opportunity to touch every part of Lex when he could. Lex turned neatly in place as he finished scrubbing his chest, letting him reach his back. Griff just stopped a moment to actually look him over. He ran a hand lovingly down Lex’s spine.

Lex shivered at the touch and looked over his shoulder with a grin. “I don’t think I’ve done it in the shower before.”

Griff smacked his shoulder and started to scrub his back. “You don’t _think_?”

Ignoring the question, Lex nearly purred at the scrubbing. “Harder please.” Griff rolled his eyes and pressed harder, making Lex have to brace himself. Lex practically melted, it felt so good.

Griff only raised an eyebrow at the pink he was making Lex’s back, but scrubbed lower along his tailbone, which had Lex tilt his back to reach it better. Which also tilted his ass up a bit higher. He couldn’t help himself and trailed a finger along that curve. This wasn’t a view he had gotten to see much of yet.

Lex squirmed at the tickling touch. “Hey! We’re supposed to be cleaning up.” He turned to let his back rinse and pulled Griff in for a kiss. “I don’t think I’d say no to a round two though.”

Griff laughed and pushed into his space, getting a share of the warm water spray. “How many showers do you want today?”

“As many as we can take.” Lex grinned, stealing another kiss.


	8. Real World

Getting up used to be bad enough, but to have a warm body next to him made it absolute torture. Lex tried to snuggle, but it was still a Monday and his phone was jangling it’s cheerful tune. He could hear Griff huff a laugh near his ear. Damn morning people and their ability to wake up. Fuck ‘em. Oh wait, he did. He snickered to himself at his dumb joke.

“What’s so funny?” Griff tried to untangle himself from Lex to reach his phone. God that ringtone was annoying. He finally managed to hassle his way through limbs and sheets to triumphantly smack the off button. He looked down at Lex, half laying on him. He was met with a rather smug look. “What?”

It was a little sing-songy as Lex wormed his way out of bed. “We had seeEEeex.”

Griff rolled his eyes in fake exasperation and tossed a pillow after him, smacking him in the back. “Don’t make me regret it.”

Lex just laughed and threw the pillow back. “Like you’d ever regret me.” He hummed a cheerful tune as he ducked into the bathroom, another pillow smacking harmlessly against the doorframe.

Griff shook his head with a smile. Lex was right, he’d never be something to regret. He rolled out of bed, snagging some clothes on the way. He didn’t have to go to work so he’d bother with a bath later. In the meantime Mr. Suddenly Sunshine needed his coffee and a real breakfast before leaving. Once he managed to get a clean bill of mental health and headed back to work they, or at least he, would have to get up earlier so they both could have a shower. 

Still humming, Lex scrubbed at himself and his hair with soap. He didn’t really want to go to work, not with Griff here, but he was happy. It wasn’t just the sex, though that had been wonderful. He had a person to share his life with finally. Sure there might be problems in the future but he was positive they’d be able to deal with them.

He wasn’t even really bothered by the way his text string ended with Stiles, though he was sure he was going to be teased to no end when he came in. He hadn’t been concentrating when he tried to answer his last text, ending up with the exchange: _fu / sounds like you are / ? what / ufu / shutup / see you tomorrow ^.~_ He was pretty sure at this point Terri taught him that winky face too.

The smell of eggs and bacon permeated the apartment as he stepped out of the bathroom, so he quickly threw on clothes to go eat. Griff was going to spoil him so badly. Aside from breakfast, he found two surprising things waiting on the counter. Lunch and a thermos. He was unaware he even owned a lunch container much less a thermos. He settled down at the table next to the coffee that was his shade of brown and took a long sip. “Wonderful.”

Griff grinned as he placed a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast in front of him. “You’re more awake today.”

Lex grimaced. “Not voluntarily.” He took another drink of his coffee before smiling down at the food. “But man, this might be worth it.”

Griff pretended to be offended. “ _Might_?” He took a bite of the food in front of him. It managed to turn out good. He pointed at Lex. “It better be more than might.”

Lex grinned around another mouthful of food. “You’re an awesome cook, promise.” He took a long sip of his coffee before continuing. “But to stay snuggled in bed with you? That’s where the might comes in.”

“You big sap.” Griff rolled his eyes as he took a drink of his own coffee. “I’ll allow that exception.”

Lex tilted his head towards the counter. “What’s that for?”

“It’s your lunch and extra coffee.” Griff shrugged. “Just a couple sandwiches, but I figure it’s cheaper than more takeout.”

Lex stopped eating and just stared at him for a long moment. He pointed sharply at him. “You are unfair.” Griff looked back in confusion. “You can cook, you snuggle, you’re awesome in bed, you’re handsome _and_ predict my needs!” He crossed his arms in fake anger. “I’m so lagging behind!”

Griff just laughed. “You’ve made yourself my anchor.” His smile softened. “At the risk of sounding pitiful, you’re my reason for being here.”

Blush suffusing his cheeks, Lex turned to exaggeratingly pout. “I didn’t make you anything. You didn’t _have_ to like me back.” He dropped the pout so he could finish eating. “Though I’m glad you do.”

Griff tilted his head to concede his point with a smile. “Fine, _I_ made you my anchor. Either way, you’re stuck with me.” He glanced at the clock in the kitchen. “When do you have to go to work?”

Lex looked too and sighed. “About ten minutes.”

Griff looked at him incredulously. “You don’t give yourself much time, do you?”

“Nah.” Lex shook his head. “Other than a quick shower there’s not much to do, so I use the time for sleep.” He shrugged. “I normally hit snooze but you got to my phone first.” He shoved the last piece of breakfast in his mouth and stood up to stretch. He didn’t want to go to work for once, and it sucked. It did mean he had a very good reason to come home though, rather than just whatever show he had been watching. An absolutely wonderful reason.

Standing himself, Griff smiled as Lex stepped into his space to snag a hug and kiss. He kept his arms tight around Lex for a long moment, not really wanting him to leave yet either. “I know you’re at a desk, but be safe.”

Lex laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll call if they haul me off on an assignment, promise.” He stole another kiss before stepping back. He grimaced slightly. “Though might not be able to tell you where or why, depending.”

Griff frowned a bit in worry. “I thought you were just home office, head of hacking or whatever?” His fingers unintentionally tightened on Lex’s arm. He had just found him, and if anyone knew the dangers of being in the field it was him.

Eyes softening, Lex shook his head. “Mostly, yes. Sometimes they need a hacker in the field, but I promise it’s not often and I’m not gone for long.” He stepped in for another kiss, loathe to leave even for normal work reasons. “I have good people backing me up.”

Griff nodded in acquiescence, letting the subject go for now. It wasn’t like he could change Lex’s job or even wanted to. He just wanted him to be safe was all. He would definitely insist upon meeting this backup at some point and assess for himself. Not that he didn’t trust Lex, but he also trusted his own gut too. “I’ll double down on the be safe then.”

Lex grinned and stole one last kiss before reaching for his bags. “Yeah yeah, I promise I won’t burn down the CIA building. You relax. I want you happy and safe too.”

\-------------------

Lex set his work bags on his desk with a sigh, his thermos joining it. He could already see Terri side-eyeing him as he settled into his chair, so he spun to face her. “Yes?”

She smirked ever so slightly. “So you’re new friend…” 

Rolling his eyes, Lex turned back to his desk to power his computer on. “Griff is doing fine, thanks for asking.” He knew he was already starting to tint pink. He might be able to hold himself together during an op, but friends and employers were a different matter entirely. He hadn’t necessarily forgotten what others might think about him with his twin, he just hadn’t really cared. At least she didn’t seem upset, and if anything she looked like she was gearing up for a good old fashioned teasing. Probably some sisterly lecture too.

Terri slid closer and elbowed him conspiratorially. “He’s at your apartment?” The smile softened into a hint of worry. “You trust him?”

Lex gave a long suffering sigh, even though he was grateful for her protective streak. “I wouldn’t invite just anyone into my home. Of course I trust him.”

A good smack to his shoulder spun his chair to face Stiles, who was grinning like a cat. “So how was your weekend?”

“Fine.” He narrowed his eyes at Stiles, waiting for the inevitable teasing.

Instead Stiles rolled his eyes. “Look man, whatever you do is your business.” It looked like he couldn’t help the grin from creeping back. “Though if I found a twin not related to me…”

Terri coughed politely, interrupting him. “What he means is, whatever or _who_ ever you spend your time with is fine with us as long as you’re safe.”

Lex crossed his arms and stared at his desktop, trying his best not to blush at their approval. Who needed family when he had friends like these? “What makes you think I did anything at all this weekend?”

Terri laughed. “For one, you haven’t denied anything.” She started ticking things off on her fingers. “You acted evasive during our phone call, and those texts with Stiles.” She shook her head. “You’re normally better at comebacks than that.”

Stiles shrugged. “I’m still not fully convinced he’s real. Identical twin.” He snorted in disbelief before patting Lex on the shoulder again. “Gotta head back to work, but if you can haul your fictional boytoy in to prove his existence that’d be nice.”

“He’s not a toy.” Lex immediately regretted the words as soon as Stiles’ eyebrows shot up in surprise. Why oh why was that the point he had to defend? He was normally so much better at this verbal banter stuff.

“Future hubby then. Whatever he is.” Stiles laughed and waved as he walked off, leaving Lex turning a nice shade of red.

Terri sighed and shook her head with a smile, spinning to face her own desk. She gestured idly towards his bags. “At least he’s feeding you.”

Lex let his head fall to the surface of his desk. He was pretty sure the teasing would stop once they actually met Griff, but until then… God it was going to be bad. He hadn’t even seen Joshua or Jackson yet today either.

\------------------

Griff heaved a sigh as the door shut behind Lex. Well, looked like he was on his own for a long while. He started with the dishes, though those only distracted him for a handful of minutes. There wasn’t much to do housework-wise that wasn’t already done, or were small piles of Lex’s things that he wouldn’t even begin to know where to put them. Lex seemed the type to remember where he last set something anyway, and he’d hate to be the reason he lost something.

He idled in the kitchen a moment more, but gave in to what he had been partly avoiding. He snagged his shoulder bag and flipped it open, digging through what was in it. Not much, as most of his paperwork had been confiscated by either Dana or the FBI. His phone and his charger were still in the bag at least, so he took the time to plug it in and charge it. Honestly he had worked himself up about the bag, as if there’d be something in it left from the hell he had been through. Of course it had all been taken, nothing but the tiny handful of personal items left. Even then his planner and notebook were missing, though to be fair they had FBI information throughout and possible evidence of the facility.

Griff still couldn’t remember what happened, only the barest idea of the priest and the black eyed demons. He was almost positive the priest wasn’t real, as now that he was in a much saner place the man looked suspiciously like a priest his parents had made him confess to when he was much younger. The red from his nightmares niggled the edge of his brain, and he tried to shove that in a corner. He wanted to sort through reality before he tried dealing with that.

He walked over to Lex’s computer out of curiosity, poking at the mouse. It woke up, presenting him with a ‘Griff Krenshaw’ sign in page. He snorted and rolled his eyes before settling into the chair. How thoughtful. He stared a moment, trying to think of what his password just might be, before he spied a yellow sticky note at the edge of the monitor. _PW: GL4ever_. He couldn’t help the laugh as he typed it in, getting to the desktop easily. It was fairly void of most icons, though the background was of one Winter Soldier with an icon nestled right on his star labeled readme. He clicked.

_Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening/Whenever you read this!_

_Not much to say other than check the start menu. You have access to pretty much all the games and things on here, I just didn’t know what you wanted on the desktop. Also you should be able to dig around in the media files on here too. Got tons of downloads of shows and things that aren’t on the DVD shelf._

_I hope your day is going good, and I can 100% say I miss you whenever it is and wherever I’m at._

_~Lex_

Griff couldn’t help the soft smile at the note. Lex could have easily told him all this in person, but left him to find it on his own. It was all really cute.

A faint ping from across the room got his attention. Who would be messaging his phone? He got up and opened it, staying tethered to the cord since it was just barely charged. He found a string of texts from an unknown number left for him, the latest starting with ‘ _just talked to lex,…_ ’, so he skipped to the top. It was rambling to be sure, starting with a ‘ _are u real_ ’, devolving into ‘ _haha lex_ ’, and stumbling into ‘ _sorry thought he was joking_ ’. He shook his head at whoever was texting these. They must know who he was and who Lex was, obviously, so likely CIA. Which would be how they found his phone number too. He finally got to the last text and found himself subjected to a truncated big brother speech. _just talked to lex, he likes you, dont hurt him._

Laughing to himself, Griff tapped out a reply. ‘ _Who are you, and why do you know Lex?_ ’ He thought he knew why the texter knew Lex, but it always paid to be sure. His phone immediately rang in his hand, and not surprisingly, it was the unknown number. He went ahead and answered. “Griff.”

There was a moment of what he imagined was stunned silence. “Damn you sound like him. You _sure_ you’re not?”

Griff snorted mildly in laughter. “Last I checked. I still don’t know who you are.”

“Right! Right. Stiles.” He cleared his throat. “I work with Lex, he’s kind of my eyes and ears for the internet while I’m on the ground.” There was another short moment of silence before he barreled on. “I don’t like seeing him hurt.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t want him hurt either.” Griff leaned against the counter, feeling a bit better about leaving Lex to his work. If his backup was this protective he’d only worry about possible man crushes. “You know you sound overprotective and jealous.”

There was that silence again, but it was quickly filled with laughter. “I was wondering where his snark went. You stole it. Why’d you wait so long to reply?” There was suspicion in his voice that Griff just rolled his eyes at.

“I just plugged my phone in. It probably died sometime while I was stuck in that facility if not the hospital.” He was pretty sure if the guy was good enough to get his phone number he’d know what happened too. Also if he was this protective likely he had already grilled Lex anyway.

This time the silence seemed a bit more awkward. “Uh. Right. Sorry about that. Kinda forgot. Lex doesn't look upset or anything anymore so I’m guessing you’re better?”

“I’m dealing. It’s only been a couple of days since I got back.” He hadn’t thought he’d get asked after since this was a ‘big brother’ call after all.

There was yet another awkward moment of silence. “Look, Lex is like a brother kinda, so I’m trying. At least we knew about you from the start.” Griff had a feeling the unsaid was something along the lines of ‘unlike Olivia’. “So I’m pretty sure he really likes you.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I like him too.” Griff couldn’t help a laugh escape. “If you protect him there, I’ll protect him here. Also, could you text me his phone number? It’s the one thing he neglected to give me.”

“Yeah, sure. You better come visit at some point. Terri’d like to meet you too.” They said their goodbyes and a quick ping later he had Lex’s phone number. That was… odd. The whole conversation was stilted and awkward, but it felt very much like he had just been approved to ‘date’ Lex by an overprotective brother. Goodie.

He fixed the contacts in his phone for Stiles and added Lex. He also sent a text to Lex, saying it was his phone and he hoped his day was well. He got a ‘ _miss you_ ’ in return. He typed out a quick _miss you too_. The hours of the day still stretched before him, but at least he was positive Lex would be safe.


	9. Save Me

Tuesday morning was very much like Monday, morning snuggles, quick flirting, making lunch, forcing breakfast on Lex. They snagged one last kiss before Lex hurried out the door, nearly late again. Griff needed to insist he set his alarm for earlier if this was how mornings were going to go.

Monday had been mostly exploring the apartment more thoroughly, poking around the shelves and cabinets. Not too deep, he’d let Lex keep whatever buried secrets he might have, but he did want to know where the sheets were kept and what was in Lex’s media collection. Today though, he was actually left with very little to do. He supposed he had the computer and whatever games that might entail, but he wasn’t so much a gamer like Lex seemed to be. He wandered over to the movie shelf and tugged Iron Man down. He didn’t know much of their order, but he did know this one was first. He roughly knew that Avengers came before 2, or was it 3? At least one of the Marvel movies were a sort of prequel technically, and if he remembered Lex’s ramblings the TV series ran in parallel to the movies. He sighed at the pile, knowing he would eventually watch them whether on his own or under Lex’s watchful eye.

Griff put Iron Man into the player, settling in to watch. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do until Lex got home. He found himself enjoying it very much, the snark a bit familiar he noted with a grin. No wonder Lex liked him. As the screen finally faded to black he headed over to the computer. Research on film order was needed if he was to have a functional discussion with Lex on everything. Lex tried his best to not give spoilers but Griff certainly knew timelines were easier to remember than what happened in which movie exactly.

The pad of paper was easy enough to find, but he had to go looking for a pen. He started to dig through the mess that was Lex’s desk drawers. He’d have to organize these at some point since there were two of them now. His hand covered cool, heavy metal and he pulled it out with curiosity.

The scissors hit the floor before he had even fully registered what they were. What were _those_ doing here? He rubbed at his eyes a moment before looking again at the things. No, not exactly the same. He memory pulled them up in his mind, sticky red. He took a slow step back, eyes still focused on the metal settling in the carpet. It wasn’t red, thankfully. He turned and headed for the bathroom. The memories were pushing forward, and while thankfully nothing and no _one_ was appearing, he could feel it tugging at the edges of his mind.

He tried to arrange his thoughts as he carefully and methodically took a pill. That red stained pair of scissors was far to vivid in the midst of all the haze. Maybe it was just a clearer hallucination, but he was beginning to doubt it. There were things Lex had refused to tell him in the hospital. This, this might be one of them. He understood the sparing of his sensibilities, but he needed to know what was real or not.

He slowly walked back into the living room, his eyes immediately tracking back to the metal on the floor. The red smeared his mind again, a flickering between an inmate and a guard, flipping between orange and blue. The back area, the locked cages. He’d been out of his cell and had come at him, right? Or… Or was it a guard telling him to go back? He rubbed at his eyes again, trying to straighten his thoughts.

This quick glimpse of metal reminded him this time of an orange that stayed orange until it became red. That was the most hazy, the last bit before the never ending white. He didn’t know about that one either. There was pain involved. 

Griff carefully sunk to the floor, trying to sift through his memories. He had shoved them away into a corner. He hadn’t wanted to deal with them, not now, not ever. But he’d have to. If he killed someone, if he was a danger, he needed to know now. He needed to make sure everyone around him was safe.

\---------

Work was… work. More teasing from all fronts which was alarmingly looking to become standard. Even Jackson had made a side comment when he had come to ask Joshua something, and that wasn’t fair at all. His bosses weren’t allowed to gang up on him, right? Even with all that, Lex couldn’t help a soft smile as he stood in front of his door digging for his key. It was very much worth the hassle to be able to come home to who he had.

“Griff, I’m home!” He shut the door behind himself before shedding his work bags in the entryway. It only took one step into the apartment to see Griff sitting quietly on the floor. He hurried over, quickly kneeling next to him, looking him over. He wasn’t physically hurt that he could see. “You okay?”

Griff took a long breath and looked up at Lex. “No.” He looked down at his hands. “I think I killed someone?” He couldn’t help his eyes flick back to the metal he couldn’t bring himself to touch.

Lex followed his gaze, his own eyes widening in shock. He hadn’t even thought about that old thrift store find. They were heavy duty and easy to sharpen which was why he picked them up. Looked cool too at the time. Now… He quickly stood and snagged them, immediately turning around and throwing them in the kitchen trash. He came back to Griff, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. “You’re fine.”

Griff shook his head. “That… That’s not the problem.” He gripped Lex’s arms, holding them tight against him. “I’m going to ask again. What did I do?”

Lex tightened his hold and lightly kissed Griff’s hair. “You were drug-”

“I know that.” Griff cut in sharply, grounding out his question again. “What. Did. I. Do?”

Lex huffed a sigh. “I was telling you. It _began_ with you being drugged. You started to twitch or something. Talking to people that weren’t there. It…” Lex closed his eyes, remembering the footage he had deleted. The events he had hoped he could somehow erase by doing so. “It took several days, but you got worse each one. There… There was a guard.”

Griff nodded slowly. “Yeah. I thought he was an inmate, loose.” His forehead wrinkled. He thought he had deleted that. But then deleting footage probably was more involved than just hitting the delete key. Another small round of mental panic. He had tried to _hide_ evidence while like that. 

Lex couldn’t help the ever so faint smile at his words in a weird sense of relief. “You thought he was a threat. There’s that.” He lightly cleared his throat before continuing. “You were all over, I wasn’t ever sure who or what you were seeing. You got into the security room and opened the cell doors.”

Griff twitched sharply. “ _I_ let them into the facility?” He tried to pull away. Too many things piling up were making him dangerous. “I let them hurt everyone?”

Lex quickly talked over the last words to continue the story. “No! _Dana_ let them loose on the building.” He bundled Griff close again, trying to maintain a slow breathing, hoping Griff would follow suit. “My best guess, since you were mumbling to yourself, is that you let someone you thought was there into the prison area and locked the outer door again before letting them free. They were still ultimately locked down.”

A jumble of hazy memories rolled past, the priest wanting to get rid of the demons. Right. Still didn’t answer the last flash of red in everything. He kept quiet though, trying to ground himself in Lex’s touch. He certainly was starting to feel a little more steady.

There were a mess of events in the cameras that quickly happened after that, mostly Griff checking in rooms, talking with someone maybe. Lex had no clue what Griff had been seeing by then, though it had looked like Dana tried to confront him on something before hiding in the security office. “There weren’t eyes in the office, but I think you called an inmate to you to get him to stop chasing Dana. I’m… I’m guessing you stabbed him then.”

Griff took a long deep breath. “Self defense. It’s the most hazy in my memory, but that’s the only charge remaining in my files.” He frowned and turned a bit to look at Lex. “Why?”

Lex gave a half shrug, not quite meeting his eyes. “Might be there isn’t any proof left of anything else.” He shifted the way he was sitting, tugging Griff closer. “It’s down to your word versus Dana’s. No one who knew survived the inmates that _Dana_ let out.” He very quietly tried his best to forget that the main staff had died trying to correct what Griff had done. Bad enough he remembered the killings.

He had started to settle more into Lex’s arms until he properly processed what he had said. He pulled away to face Lex fully. “You let _me_ walk? Someone who could snap at any time and do it again?” He stared incredulously at Lex, fear leaking into his expression. “I could do it to _you_.”

Lex huffed a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. “Listen. You were _drugged_. Those were extreme and aggravated a condition that, sure, you have. But let me ask you this. Before Godfrey did you ever confuse your visions with reality? Especially when you were on your meds?”

Griff slowly shook his head. The only time he could ever think of sort of mistaking reality for what he saw was before he got his meds, and even then it was only a split second. He still had seen an inmate where the guard had been. “But.”

It was Lex’s turn to cut him off. “But nothing. And don’t you dare start on blood on your hands or any bullshit like that.” He reached out to lightly rest a hand on Griff’s leg. “Might not have killed directly, but I’m just as guilty as you are with a higher body count.”

Griff didn’t get any closer, but didn’t pull away either. He honestly just wanted to curl up in Lex’s arms and accept the comfort. “I understand that. That’s part of the job.” He frowned and allowed himself to rest his hand on Lex’s. “But you’re sane and made a choice. I… I didn’t. Not really.”

Frowning, Lex turned his hand over so he could grip Griff’s properly, interlacing their fingers. “That’s exactly my point. You are sane in normal circumstances. I seriously doubt you’d be drugged like that ever again.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “I _know_ you won’t be. I am tempted to call in a favor and Dana be put out of our lives more permanently.”

That earned a slow nudge of a smile. “You wouldn’t.” He hesitantly brought his other hand to hold Lex’s tighter.

“You bet I would.” Lex offered a tiny smile in reply. “I have connections. Hell, I could forge the orders myself.” He lightly tugged on Griff’s hand, hoping to coax him back to his arms. “Done that before too.”

Griff sighed and slowly allowed himself to be pulled forward, wrapping his own arms around Lex in return. “I want you to at least promise if I start to act weird or anything, please make sure you’re safe.” He tightened his grip. “I don’t know if I could handle that.”

Lex rolled his eyes and kissed the top of Griff’s head. “Promise.” He wasn’t worried in the least, but if it assuaged Griff’s worries he’d certainly promise. To be fair he knew himself well enough. At this point nothing would keep him from Griff, even likely Griff himself. “Hey.” He leaned back a little to look Griff in the eyes. “Love you.”

Griff couldn’t help the soft smile at the words. “Love you too.” He met Lex in a kiss before sinking back into the comfort of his arms. He didn’t ever remember anyone’s touch being so solid and grounding as Lex’s. He was still worried at being a danger, but now he was a little worried over the trouble Lex might get into. He covered up a lot for someone who was a near stranger at the time. 

They sat awhile, Lex slowly rubbing Griff’s back. Finally Lex lightly nudged him up. “My legs are falling asleep.” He nudged Griff’s nose with his own. “And I think we both should eat something.”

Griff nodded slowly, not wanting to let go but understanding since he too was starting to hurt from sitting on the floor for so long. He carefully got up and stood sheepishly to the side. He was feeling a hell of a lot better. “You’re still in your work clothes.”

Lex twitched a grin. “You wanna help me change?”

Rolling his eyes Griff shoved him towards the bedroom door. “Change, food, and then we’ll talk.”


	10. Falling For You

It was by the next Monday that Lex caved and extended a much badgered for invitation to Griff to come visit the office. Everyone there was curious, even if Stiles had started to chat with Griff on and off all the week before. They all wanted to meet the mysterious double who had somehow managed to charm Lex away from his stereotype. As with any office, somehow everyone who was important knew. Thankfully, likely due to it being a _CIA_ office, _only_ the important people knew. And they didn’t seem as bothered by it as he thought they would be.

Griff accepted the invitation easily, though as he rolled out of bed he couldn’t help but feel nervous. This was Lex’s world he was meeting. If they didn’t care for him, where did he stand? Stiles at least seemed fine with him, but that had all been in texts. He had yet to meet the rest. He looked back at the grumpily groggy Lex and couldn’t help a soft smile. At least he had Lex, and he seriously doubted he was anywhere near as bad as his previous attempts at dating. Or at least according to Stiles anyway.

His shower was quick and efficient, falling into a sense of routine he had ingrained in him from years of army and FBI. They had dropped by his apartment again during the week to grab a couple of books and a suit for this visit. Lex had tried to insist he could just borrow his clothes but Griff preferred his own when it came to a professional setting. By the time Lex’s alarm was going off Griff was straightening his shirt cuffs and tie. 

Lex rolled out of bed and draped himself over Griff’s shoulder, effectively messing up his neat shirt. “ _Why_ are you a morning person?”

Griff rolled his eyes and peeled him off, pushing him towards the bathroom. “Training probably. Go bathe.”

“Ugh.” Lex wandered towards the bathroom, still in a bit of a haze. Griff watched him with a fond smile as he re-straightened his shirt and snagged his suit coat. He’d work on coffee, lunch and a quick breakfast while Lex woke up a little more in the shower. It was oddly adorable how sluggish the other man was in the mornings. He wouldn’t be surprised if Lex viewed him the same in the evenings. He certainly was a well of energy as Griff was winding down, that was for sure.

As predicted, Lex was still tired but awake by the time he dragged himself into the kitchen, gratefully taking a cup of coffee and sitting down at the table. It was leftover french toast from the weekend, mostly because Griff didn’t want to get anything on his clothes. He’d have to remember that if he ever started to work again, maybe force Lex to get up early and bathe first? Or have a morning tshirt for just cooking in, maybe even an apron. Something at least to save his nice clothes.

By the time they hit the front door, Lex was ready to function, even if he’d still rather haul Griff back to bed. He was grateful for the other man’s help in the morning. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been able to do it before, obviously, but he certainly loved the pampering. The food was also amazing, and he was certain he might need to actually use the gym for once. Not that Griff seemed to care so maybe not.

The morning was standard all the way up to the entrance to headquarters, which was where Lex had to go bother the front guard to get a guest tag. Griff waited patiently in the lobby, watching Lex chat up the front desk.

A sudden slap on his shoulder got him to turn in surprise. “Hey Lex, what’s up with the suit?” The man wrinkled his nose in confusion. “And the hair...?” Griff couldn’t help the slow smile, recognizing the voice and letting him think it out. He saw his eyes dart to the front desk and back down to him. “Oh. Wow you _are_ twinsies.” Stiles offered his hand with a grin. “Nice to meet you, Griff.”

“Stiles.” Griff took his hand to shake, offering his own smile as Lex hurried up with the visitor pass.

“Great! You met already.” He grinned at Griff. “How bad?”

Griff shook his head mock ruefully and crossed his arms. “About twenty seconds.”

An aggrieved expression came across Stiles’ face. “Two. I’m stuck with two of them. God save me.”

“God can’t save you now.” An older gentleman lightly patted Stiles on the shoulder before offering his hand out to Griff. “Joshua, nice to meet you finally.” The last comment had him glaring mild daggers towards Lex. “He doesn’t tell us much, so we’re glad you agreed to visit.”

Lex rolled his eyes and clipped the pass onto the lapel of Griff’s jacket. “Don’t know why I got this if you were going to meet everyone in the lobby anyway.” He fake grumped as they headed towards the bank of elevators.

“I think Terri would kill you if you brought him and didn’t bring him up.” Stiles tapped the button for the art department’s floor, wanting to see her reaction. It wasn’t like he didn’t have a job of his own to do right now or anything.

Lex nodded along to Stiles’ comment. “At the very least she’d make me trade the boring jobs with her for a month.”

Griff couldn’t help the slight smile at the banter back and forth. He never had anyone close or anything at work, but he did miss that sense of camaraderie. 

As the doors slid open Joshua leaned over. “It’s amazing isn’t it. He has friends.”

Griff couldn’t help but laugh at that while Lex protested at the comment while they piled out of the elevator. Looking around, he was greeted by a sort of office space and labwork mashup area, obvious projects going on on many a table and computer. Lex and Stiles continued to snipe at each other as they headed to the computer area near a glassed in office.

Joshua stepped past Griff towards the office. “If you’d be kind enough not to look too hard.” He winked. “And if you do, it doesn’t leave this room.”

Griff grinned in reply, offering a lazy salute. “Eight years counter-terrorism, I know the drill.”

Joshua’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Likely you have the proper clearance to be here. I thought we were smuggling you in. Carry on.” He waved him towards the trio by the computers before heading into the open door.

Griff drifted back towards the group, assuming the lady to be Terri. She smiled brightly up at him and offered her hand. “He’s said a lot about you.” She winked. “And yes, good things.”

He shook her hand. “So I’m the hot office gossip, got it.” He grinned and patted Lex on the shoulder. “So I’ve met the people, what do you do? Well, within what you’re allowed to tell me.”

Stiles laughed. “Spy stuff. I think that covers it.” Lex rolled his eyes and spun his chair to his computer.

“It’s a little more complicated than that for us.” He clattered at the keys, throwing something unimportant up on screen. “An awful lot of programming back doors and digitally rebuilding documents.” He tilted his head appreciatively to Terri. “And she is the physical artist. Absolutely beautiful work.”

Terri shrugged as she woke up her own computer. “What else am I going to use my art degree for?” She grinned and gestured towards the far workspaces. “Making an exact replica of something isn’t easy.”

Crossing his arms, Stiles mildly huffed. “It’s not like actually sneaking in is easy either.”

Griff couldn’t help a smile as he leaned against the desk. “And I bet organizing all the information for you three is just as bad.”

“Well said.” Griff looked up to meet the gaze of an older gentleman he didn’t recognize. “As I’d expect from counter-terrorism.” He turned to regard Stiles with a slight smile. “I do believe Quinn is looking for you.”

“Crap, thanks Jackson.” Stiles quickly gathered his things and headed towards the elevator. You didn’t keep Quinn waiting if you could help it.

Jackson offered a hand out to Griff. “Nice to meet you. I take it you were in the analyst role in the army?”

Griff shook his hand in turn. “Yes, I’d bet you’re from that department too.” He tilted his head to the main office where Joshua was. “And you don’t normally come over here.”

“Oh, I do actually normally come over here.” Jackson tapped Lex’s desk lightly. “But you are correct in your assumption this time. I, too, wished to meet the fabled Griff.” He winked.

Lex turned a slight pink at Jackson’s comment. “I didn’t think I talked _that_ much.”

Terri patted his shoulder. “It’s not the talking; you’re the happiest we’ve seen in a long time.” She smiled up at Griff. “Plus the food is the best we’ve ever seen him eat.”

Griff shrugged. “I try.” He couldn’t help the soft smile to Lex, who was still blushing but grinning all the same. He was glad he had wonderful and supportive friends like these, and was honestly honored to have the chance to meet them.

Jackson leaned over Lex’s shoulder and pointed at the screen. “Maybe you could demonstrate what you do. Say, with Griff’s work record?”

Nodding, Lex’s fingers were already bringing up a pile of files and information. “Easy enough. I already…” His words trailed off for a moment. A lot of the information he had was from when he was checking if Griff was okay and wasn’t supposed to be looking. “Uh. Well, here.” He tapped the screen where what looked remarkably like Griff’s last resume sat displayed. Except he hadn’t ever made one. 

Griff leaned into Lex’s space from the other side. “Nicely done.” He grinned. “Though I had a more comprehensive hacker show when we worked together.”

“Oh I know.” Jackson absently said as he turned to Lex. “Could you print that for me, please?” Lex automatically followed the request before his mind caught up. “Thank you.” 

“Wait, what do you need that for? Jackson? _Jackson_?” Lex stood, but didn’t follow as Jackson headed out the door, paperwork in hand. He looked back to Griff apologetically. “Sorry?”

“It’s fine.” Griff stared at the doors, wondering what the man was up to. “I think.” He could take a couple of wild guesses, but those ranged from a job to a boyfriend background check. Possibly both.

Terri laughed and patted Griff’s shoulder. “You’ll be fine. He seemed to like you well enough.” She pointed at the resume still on screen. “With that sort of clearance and work history you should be golden.” Her eyes danced at Lex’s confused look. “Jackson’s going to steal your boyfriend.”

Griff grinned at Lex’s expression, thinking on what Terri said. He was surprised at how welcoming everyone here had been so far. FBI to CIA wasn’t a huge jump, and he had been doing counter-terrorism for years before that, plus an analyst job would be from a desk where the FBI had wanted to put him. He’d be closer to Lex every day, and definitely not put on permanent leave. He let the two playfully bicker a bit and politely knocked on Joshua’s door before opening it.

“You’re welcome.” Joshua glanced up from his paperwork before waving idly at him. “We have to be two steps ahead, yes?” He smirked as he scribbled something down on a piece of paper. “You knowing to come to me shows I passed on the right information.”

Griff huffed a small laugh. “Thank you. I’ll try to live up to this mythical me that’s developed.” He could hear the conversation had died down, and was sure they were curiously staring at him in the office doorway. “I’ll be glad to have a job to do again.”

Joshua looked up, his smile softening. “You’ll do fine. It’s one of the best resumes we’ve seen in a long time.” He waved at him again, shooing him towards the main space. “They’re going to get up soon to check since you didn’t close the door and I have work to do.”

“Thanks again.” Griff nodded as he closed the door, turning to face the two who had their chairs swiveled in his direction. He walked back over to settle on the edge of Lex’s desk. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

Lex rolled his eyes and turned to his computer, then paused. He looked back up at Griff. “Uh.”

From an inside pocket of his jacket, Griff tugged out a paperback and pointedly opened it. “Promise I’m not looking.” He matched Lex smile for smile as they both turned to their respective activities for the day, though at some point he did dig up a spare office chair. Desks weren’t the most comfortable place to perch for long periods of time.

Somewhere not too long after lunch Jackson came and got Griff, bringing him to his office. He settled behind his desk and offered Griff one of the chairs opposite. “As you probably suspect, I’ve gotten permission to offer you a job.” He offered a soft smile. “Your past work experience is perfect. We are aware of your current, ah, mental state but since you won’t be put in the field that doesn’t matter.” His eyes crinkled as his smile widened. “And you have the personal recommendation of one of our best internal agents. If he trusts you enough in his home, I’m sure you’ll be fine here.” He shuffled a couple of pieces of paper on his desk for a moment. “We do have to put in the proper paperwork for such a move, since you’re still technically an FBI agent at the moment, so you wouldn’t officially work here for a couple more weeks.” He pushed a small stack of papers forward, a pen resting on top. “Would you like a job here?”

Griff’s smile was wide as he reached out to the papers to give them a long look through. He knew better than to blindly sign, even if he would sign them anyway. “I would love to work here.”


End file.
